


The Dearest brother

by 2W_NikiAngel



Category: Free!
Genre: Brother-Sister Relationships, Brotherly Love, Family Feels, Family Fluff, Light Angst, Multi, Not Beta Read, Pre-relationship MakoHaru
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-17
Updated: 2020-11-17
Packaged: 2021-03-10 06:54:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 22,850
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27609280
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/2W_NikiAngel/pseuds/2W_NikiAngel
Summary: Makoto had a red pepper between his chopsticks when Ran appeared between the doors. With a loud splash, the pepper fell back into the sauce, smearing a piece of his clothing. The girl standing in the door couldn't be his sister. His little sister with long olive hair clasped in two cute horns, who loved floral patterns and kittens couldn't be - this one.And Makoto was nervous. Ran definitely didn't look like his - twelve years old! - sister.[Český originální text/Czech original]
Relationships: Nanase Haruka/Tachibana Makoto, Tachibana Ran/Original Male Character(s)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 9





	The Dearest brother

**Author's Note:**

> And here it is! I thought for a long time about how, after two years of the most active phase, I would sail into the waters of the Free! fandom, and I done it in my own way - by writing a fanfic. There were (and still are) many ideas, but what story to start with? After all, instead of a very long slow burn MakoHaru or a hot SouMako that could steam a window in the room where I was writing; won the fanfic focused on Makoto and his relationship with his sister Ran, who is already slowly growing up. And when else to publish it than on the birthday of our favorite killer whale? :)
> 
> So - Happy Birthday Makoto! This is for you!
> 
> PS: Yes, I will write and publish both mentioned fanfictions, because - Hi Free! fans, from now on I will focus on you too. :P

The end of the first year of college was simply a chaos. All students ran confusedly between the classrooms, trying in vain to catch up on all the material that still didn't make sense to them. Pupils with noses buried in textbooks sat in front of the door to the professors' offices, most of them sweating or marching nervously here and there. The libraries were full, and on the tables, in addition to books, were the heads of students who had fallen asleep exhausted. 

Makoto was one of them. From middle school, he was always nervous during exam periods. In high school, he studied in the libraries into the night, and whenever the sun had set and the head of the library smiled fondly at him, he realized that it was time to go. But always before that he had to wake Haruka, who took his jacket from his school uniform, made a pillow from it, and sleeped contentedly in front of him. He always envied him a little, how easily he remembered everything, and as in the water, he sailed through his life easily and quickly, as if nothing bothered him. Definitely not the final exams, which he passed very well. As they celebrated their success together in the house of the Tachibana family, he felt a soft tickle around his heart during the toast. It was a pleasure for both of them to succeed, but a little of the envy that Haruka, without a single problem, succeeded and got into a prestigious school with a great swimming program that already guaranteed him a great future. They celebrated that evening until late. In the evening, Makoto and Haruka talked, as they used to when they were children - lying on the bed, facing each other, looking into each other's eyes and whispering about the future as if they were telling a secret. They fell asleep in the morning, when the first rays of the sun began to tickle their faces.

Even though Makoto knew that when he started college, his stress from school wouldn’t subside, after all it was another new experience. And it certainly wasn't one of his favorites. Even in the evening sessions, the tutoring group didn’t joke as always, and they were all strangely stiff. At work, Misaki asked him several times if he was sick, because he always looked absently at the ground - he just repeated the material in his head, hoping to be able to say it to the professor as excellently as he recited it in his head. Haruka also broke their morning routine and it was he who decided to accompany Makota to school. But he did it mainly to make sure he ate something. Whenever they left the apartment complex where Makoto lived, he shoved the breakfast he had prepared for him into his hand. 

But all the stress paid off for him a little - he always succeeded. Although he blushed all the time, rubbed his fingers and felt his throat dry, he somehow managed to say all the important information for the professors to write " _ done _ " in his index so that he could go home with a calm heart. The last exam in anatomy was waiting for him, which he had been diligently preparing for since the first days at university. Everyone was terrified of how strict the professor was, so he made sure he always went to his classes ready. Maybe that's why learning didn't seem so difficult to him. 

Even so, he felt he needed a rest. In the morning, he forgot why he had opened the sideboard before he realized he wanted to make tea. He stopped on the sidewalk in the afternoon before he realized he needed to go to the swimming pool, not home. Occasionally he dialed Haruka's number without needing help and couldn't make a single excuse for calling him. But even the brunette understood on the phone what his best friend needed from him. Just hear him and know they can handle everything together. He was his safe place for him, and Haruka didn’t resist this position.

Therefore, when the shifts of the swimming club for the next week were announced, he was glad when the owner agreed for him to take a week off. He immediately boasted of the news to his family, for which he planned to go the very next day. Their enthusiasm brought a few tears to his eyes. "Can't you really come with me?" Makoto asked as he flipped his cell phone from one hand to the other and put it to his left ear. He tried to fasten the bag with his belongings with his right hand. In vain. 

" _ No _ ," Haruka replied from the other side. Anyone who heard him would think he was bored or tired, but Makoto knew in his voice that he was sorry. Although his parents returned to Iwatobi sporadically and in fact Makoto had the opportunity to see them only once a year, Haruka loved their house. He had many memories of him thanks to his beloved grandmother, who practically raised him. Whenever he had the chance, he went to Iwatobi to light a candle for her in the shrine. " _ But Azuma promised to give me a weekend off after the Osaka tournament. _ " Makoto heard an unspoken question -  _ Are we planning something together?  _

"That sounds great, Haru," he smiled and finally zipped the bag. He slung it over his back and left his apartment. "I need to go." 

" _ Sure _ ," Haruka said, but didn't hang up. As if he was still waiting for something. 

Makoto laughed and said, "I'll write to you when I get to Iwatobi. Okay?” Haruka murmured something, but the brunet understood that to reassure him. They said goodbye quickly, Makoto hid his cell phone in his pocket, locked the apartment, and ran to the train.

When he arrived at the bus station, people were already boarding the bus to take them to Iwatobi. It wasn't until he sat down on the seat that he rested. He almost didn't make it. Along the way, he saw a cat huddled under a metal seat at the station and unable to get across the tracks. She was terrified of every sound and movement and meowed unhappily. Makoto couldn't just leave her. He took her out of the station to the park, where she broke free from his arms and ran somewhere to the playground. When he returned to the station, his train was long gone and another wasn’t to arrive until twenty minutes later. He marched nervously from side to side, tapping his feet on the ground in the car until he had to apologize to the old woman in front of him for disturbing her while reading a romantic book. 

As soon as the driver started the engine and greeted all the passengers, his heart finally calmed. He began to smile. He was looking forward to going home. Whenever he had a moment, he remembered his family. He saw his mother standing at the kitchen counter preparing her delicious green curry. He saw his father reading a newspaper at his desk and commenting on changes in the stock market. He mainly saw his two younger siblings running around the house, and their laughter and quarrels could be heard in the yard in front of their house. He shuddered contentedly and looked out the window. The world seemed a little brighter and friendlier again. He pulled a cell phone from his pocket, put his headphones on, and decided to fall asleep. 

Six and a half hours later, he got off at the final stop. As soon as he stepped out of the door, he took a deep breath of fresh air, which filled his lungs and ruffled his hair. The famous abrasion of salt air and sun. He missed this in Tokyo. He said goodbye to the remaining passengers - mostly elderly ladies, whom he helped with their luggage - and walked down the familiar alleys until he reached the famous, long staircase that led to the shrine Misagozaki. With each step up, his smile widened. He came to a familiar crossroads between his and Haruka's house. He smiled as he remembered all the days when the stairs went up and down together. It was as if it had been a long time, and yet they had only been in Tokyo for a year. He turned right and quickly ran up the remaining stairs, which had already led him to the family house. He smiled when he noticed fresh flowers on the grave of his goldfish. He rang the bell and walked contentedly from one foot to the other.

In a moment, a dark brown haired boy appeared behind the door. Before Makoto could open his mouth to greet him, he felt his younger brother pounce on him. "Onii-chan!" He shouted as he jumped up to hug him around the neck. 

"I'm so glad to see you, Ren," Makoto said contentedly as he began to rub his face against his and instinctively pulled his brother closer to his body. It had been a long time since he'd hugged him like that. No calls or messages could ever make up for this warm embrace. As Ren grew older, he knew it wouldn't be long, and instead of fraternally hugging him, he would give him only a bored look. He wanted to enjoy it for a while. 

"Why didn't you say you were coming!" Ren scolded him, but he was still smiling. Makoto was afraid he would tear the corners of his mouth as he smiled broadly. 

"I wanted it to be a surprise. At least for you and Ran," he said truthfully as he and his brother entered the house. "I'm home," he shouted into the room. In a moment, his mother appeared in the hallway, as always with an apron tied around her neck, smelling of cinnamon and just roasted meat. 

"Sweetheart," she said, and her beautiful, turquoise eyes filled with tears. "I couldn't wait for you!" She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him on the cheek, as she always did when he left and came home from school. He also missed this. The warmth of home that couldn’t go to Tokyo with him.

"I tried to calculate how long it would take you to have something to eat right after you arrived, but it will take at least another hour... It seems that I’m as good at math as you," she laughed. 

"Mom again?" Makoto sighed in annoyance. His parents always found a moment to return to his mathematical failures, which were commented on by one professor as  _ calculations worthy of the Nobel Prize, because no one had really seen this before. _

However, his mother laughed sweetly, grabbed him by the shoulders and sighed, "You have grown up again." 

"You just think so," he said, but he himself felt that some of his T-shirts were a little shorter than he was six months ago. He thought he would stop growing, but his body seemed to have a different opinion. He tried to stop it, but still secretly hoped that one day he would be able to look Sousuke straight in the eye. They were only four centimeters apart, but enough to make Sousuke constantly argue that he, as taller, was right to decide what they were going to eat, what they were going to watch, or where they were going. Their friendship was a strange combination of the bickering that Sousuke and Rin were used to, and the care that was familiar to Makoto and Haruka. 

"I don't think so," she protested. "Father won't arrive until late at night, the last conference has been going on." 

"Are we going to play something?" Ren asked as he hung up on Makoto's hand, trying to push his brother discreetly into the room. 

"Let him rest, Rene." 

“No, that's fine. I'd love to see how you remodeled my room. "

"It's wonderful!" They ran up the stairs to the first floor and opened the first door on the left. It used to be Makoto's room. After moving out and empty for half a year, his parents quietly asked him if he ever planned to move back. Although Makota's heart pounded, he understood. He himself felt that although Iwatobi was deeply rooted in his heart and he never intended to give up his homeland, he knew for several more years that he wouldn’t return to it. His dream of helping children swim spread to athletes, and he hoped that one day he would be with the best team - which would include Haruka, even though he was still trying to say that he definitely didn't do it because of him - all over the world. His homeland will be hotels and one apartment in Tokyo, in which he will always prepare only for the next departure. But when the first messages with pictures of Ren’s new room came, he didn’t regret it. He smiled at every little change Ren made. Both of his siblings were growing up and needed space and privacy. 

Therefore, when he entered his old room, instead of mourning, he just laughed. Ren was calmer than his sister, a few minutes older, but he had a strange taste that included bright colors and superheroes whose names Makoto hadn't even remembered over the years. There were so many of them that he was just trying to divide them into studies so as not to offend his younger brother and not get another lecture on how not to mix them up. Makoto's calm, sleek style, which included bold green but otherwise calm gray, was replaced by yellow walls, fleshy wood, red coatings, and prints that were all over the table, walls, and doors. Only the game console, on which he played the latest games with Haruka, remained in the room after him. "Do you like it?" Ran asked enthusiastically, stretching his arms in all directions. 

Makoto put on his friendly smile, swallowed the truth that his eyes were burning, and replied, "Just like you."

They both sat on the floor in front of the TV, turned on the console, and started playing. Ren prepared the latest edition of Taken for him. It was just a little nostalgia. "You're letting me win, for sure!" Ren laughed as he beat Makoto for the fifth time. Makoto always let his siblings win, only with Haruka they knew how hard an opponent he really was. But this time it wasn’t true. Brunet had forgotten how to play with the old gameplay, he was used to the Wii, which he had to buy as soon as he arrived in Tokyo, along with his first smartphone. 

They had been playing for less than half an hour when the voice of their mother called them from the ground floor, calling them to lunch. They paused the game and with laughter went into the kitchen. Makoto took a deep breath and smelled the familiar scent of roast, vegetables, and the warmth of his mother. He sat down at his usual place at the table - he wondered for a moment if he still had a right to think it was "his" place - and his mother placed his favorite food in front of him. "Mom, you didn’t have to," Makoto said, but he tasted it before he placed another plate on the table.

"I couldn't resist," she said as she sat down next to him and looked at the empty space in front of him. “Late again," she whispered to herself, and she sighed. “Ran! Your foods going to be cold!” 

"I said I’m going!" 

"Is Ran home at all times?" Makoto asked. 

"Yeah," Ren grinned. 

"Then why—" Makoto didn't answer and frowned. His younger sister loved him even more than his brother. Whenever they met with Haruka, it was clear that his brother was strangely drawn to the brunette, and when they were to swim together, he always wanted Haruka to support him and teach him. But not his sister. She loved Makoto from the first moment she was born. She didn't cry in his arms, let him feed her from a bottle, played with him in the sandbox, and pushed at the children, who also wanted him to carry them on his strong shoulders. He often rebuked her for it, but she looked at him with those cute, turquoise eyes, and he forgave her right away. She was always on her feet when he woke up. She was always at the door when he returned home. She cried as he left. She said she would marry him one day - much to their parents' concern with each passing year. She was the reason he could never bring home a magazine or videotape that was definitely not meant for the eyes of a small child, especially an innocent girl. She liked to wear his clothes, even though she stepped on it and the sleeves were almost to the ground. She hid in his closet so he could "find" her and tickle her on his bed, crying with happiness. She never left him alone. 

But now, as if she didn't care at all, the brother she had praised so much in front of everyone and without whom she couldn't be, had finally come home. After a year that seemed so long, though they often called and wrote. Although… Now that Makoto was thinking about it, Ran paused strangely six months ago. Sometimes she wrote him a message, but she never had time to call. She didn't show up in video calls anymore, and his mother always just said, " _ You know, she's a young lady. _ "

"Ran!" The shout interrupted Makoto’'s flood of thoughts. There was what sounded like a chair sliding, a door opening, and footsteps that were too loud. Ran always walked like this when she was upset. After all, nothing so fundamental has changed. 

Makoto had a red pepper between his chopsticks when Ran appeared between the doors. With a loud splash, the pepper fell back into the sauce, smearing a piece of his clothing. The girl standing in the door couldn't be his sister. His little sister with long olive hair clasped in two cute horns, who loved floral patterns and kittens couldn't be - _ this one _ . 

Ran was suddenly a good six inches taller than her brother. She was long, slender, her hair cut to the shoulders, and instead of bangs, she had several long strands that traced her face. He noticed pierced ears with a pair of silver earrings that matched the equally glittering necklace. But what fascinated him more was she had make-up - she had perfect skin, pink lips - so why were her lashes all black and her lips red? Her shoulders were still as narrow as her waist. But her hips widened. There was a little more to see in those tight pants. Her navel was exposed above them - Makoto breathed when he saw nothing in it. The T-shirt - or what she was trying to pretend to be - covered only her chest. They, too, grew by a few numbers he hadn't seen in his college classmates. The Japanese girls usually had smaller chests, but the oversized apparently caught up with their entire family. What she couldn't catch up like her brother in pants was on her chest. 

And Makoto was nervous. Ran definitely didn't look like his - _ twelve years old! _ \- sister. If he hadn't known her and met her on the street, he would have said that she had just started high school or was finishing her first year. She was still standing just as proudly and confidently, but now something else had been added. Something he hoped to talk to her much later - sex appeal.

Just the thought of being able to think in one sentence about his sister, a twelve-year-old girl and a sex appeal made his stomach tighten. "I was working on something else," she said, blowing away the disobedient hair that fell to her forehead. Her voice sounded different, too. It was a little deeper, but more sweet and pleasant. It didn't pull his ears anymore. He never noticed how the girls' voices changed. 

Ran reached the table and laughed when she saw Makoto's gaze. "Greetings to you, Makoto." Makoto winced. Ran had never called him by name before. He was always just a "nii" for her and later a "onii-chan". But  _ Makoto _ ? It sounded so strange from her mouth. 

"Hello," he said after a moment of silence as Ran sat down next to her brother and ate. Only now did Makoto see the difference between his siblings. No one would guess that they are twins. Ren was still a child, his cheeks swollen, his features soft, and he still had a boyish look on his face. Even his voice sounded more feminine. But Ran… 

"I wanted to welcome you," she said suddenly, straightening her hair behind her ear again. "But I was on call with Ak— _ someone _ ." 

"With her boyfriend," Ren said in disgust. 

"Shut up," Ran said aggressively, kicking him in the shin under the table. 

"Ouch! Stop it! ”His younger brother frowned at her. He had to lift his chin a little so he could look her in the eye. It bothered him how tall she was. He hoped to grow soon. 

"With a boyfriend?" Makoto asked, setting his wands aside. 

"Akinori is a boyfriend of our dear Ran." 

"Mom," Ran protested, rolling her eyes. He had probably never seen this in her. Ran was always strong and made it clear whether she liked something or not, but she never spoke to her parents like that. She listened to them, liked to help, and their mother was an idol for her. You could see how much she admired her. But now it seemed to bother her.

Was Makoto like that when he first noticed that his voice had changed and his thoughts began to flood with images that blew blood into his face? No. He was always polite. His puberty was so calm that without his height and muscles difference, no one would have noticed any significant changes. His parents always told him that he had to be here for his siblings, who would see him as a role model and not be a bad example for them. He took it to heart. He never acted like his peers. But when he saw what puberty was doing with his younger -  _ twelve-year-old! _ Will there be a time when he will finally accept it? - sister, he was scared. He wasn't home to tame her. Ren was still not in puberty. His mother was busy with work and household, and even though she tried and was always there for them, they preferred to try to give her peace and deal with things on their own. Their father was a great man, but he didn't take much empathy and his advice was purely theoretical. That's why his siblings came to see him, and he was always happy to advise them. But now they were alone. For all that. 

Makoto had no right to judge anything, he was only their brother, not their parent. Still, he needed to take a breath and not to start asking Ran who he was dating, why he wasn't writing back to him, and what a damn T-shirt she had decided to buy and wear. 

"Sweetheart, eat, or it would be cold." His mother's voice brought him back to reality. He just nodded, took the wands back in his hand, and began to eat. He was the last to leave the table, his plate almost full. "You didn’t like it?" His mother asked him unhappily. 

"No, that’s not it…" 

Makoto's mother frowned. She moved closer to him and looked at him. She smiled. She had seen that look on him several times. "It's okay, Makoto," she said, stroking his hair. She had to get on tiptoe to be able to adjust several strands behind his ear. He was as tall as her husband. "Girls mature faster. She needs to go through this to find herself."

"But… but she…" He couldn't even name it. He looked into the eyes of his mother, who raised an eyebrow amiably and waited for her to find the right words. He still couldn't find them. 

"She does look so mature?" She tried to refill, and Makoto just exhaled contentedly. That's exactly what he meant. "It will get better. Now she needs to find herself. She doesn't know what to do with her own body, hormones are raging in her and the new boy— " 

"Who is it?" He interrupted her and looked at her, frightened. 

His mother laughed. "You don’t have to worry. Akinori is a very nice boy, he comes to us sometimes for dinner. " 

"Is he sleeping here?" 

"You fool!" She poked Makoto’s forehead until the brunette grinned in pain. "I wouldn’t allow her to do that. She’s still too young for that." 

"But I could sleep at Haru's." 

"I had nothing to fear there," she laughed, stroking his arms immediately. "Or do I?" Makoto swallowed dryly. It didn't matter that he was almost twenty years old. He still didn't have the courage to admit that -  _ yes, there was something to fear _ . The nights they spent playing video games, board games, or grilling mackerel soon turned into nights when they looked at each other and whispered about what was changing on their bodies. Children's curiosity shifted from words to touch and then to actions that only led to a whirlwind in Makoto's brain that he couldn’t tame. For many years he struggled with his own feelings, trying to force him to like short skirts, white stockings and distinctive breasts. But with each passing year, he preferred to look at another exposed piece of naked skin of boys who were growing up like him. He watched their overgrown shoulders, chest, and muscular legs. Haruka - who had never touched him since he was fourteen because  _ they were big enough to find a girlfriend  _ \- never talked about it. But he recognized it in him. They knew each other so well that Makoto didn't even have to say anything for Haruka to understand what was going on in his thoughts. He understood him, supported him, never rejected him. Even Haruka wasn’t the typical man imagined by Japanese society. Haruka was simply  _ Haruka _ . Makoto smiled at the thought. “Sweetheart?”

Makoto blinked and smiled quickly at his mother. "Yes, of course, there was no reason to fear." 

"Like me and Akinori." They both turned to the door where Ran stood. She held an empty glass in her hand. "I only went for a drink when I heard you slandering me." 

"Nobody's slandering you, Ran," Makoto said, a little hurt. Ran just muttered something. 

"Take what you want, honey," their mother said as she began to wipe the kitchen counter. 

"Sure." Ran walked to the sink to pour herself some fresh water. Her hair went off her shoulders, revealing her milky neck. 

"What do you have there?" Makoto asked. Ran straightened, covered her neck with her hand, and looked at him, startled. 

"Where is what?" Their mother asked, stopping to wash the line. 

"It's nothing." She quickly adjusted her hair so that nothing could be seen. But Makoto saw it quite clearly. A small spot, still a little red, apparently fresh. Something she couldn't do on her own. Something someone else had to do. Something someone created with  _ their mouth _ . 

Makoto's heart pounded. "Really?" Ran looked at him and frowned. 

"Really. Just like no one has to worry about  _ your nights with Haru-chan _ .” Makoto winced. What did Ran mean by that? Would she—? 

"I go to sleep." 

"Good night, honey," her mother said, and Ran was gone in a moment. Makoto clenched his fingers into the kitchen counter he was leaning on. His heart was pounding hard in his chest. “Mako— " 

“I'm going to go to bed too," he said, perhaps too quickly, turning and leaving. He could still hear his mother wishing him good night. He went to his - Ren's - room and lay down on the futon that his younger brother had already prepared for him.

"Are you going to sleep?" Ren asked in surprise as he paused the game on his phone and looked from the edge of the bed at his brother, who pulled a pillow under his head and pulled it to his chest. It was as if he were trying to hug someone. 

"I'm pretty tired after traveling today." It wasn't a lie - he really felt his legs, back, and eyelids hurt on its own. It just wasn't the thing that bothered him. 

"Do you mind if I play for some more?" His brother asked as he turned off and pointed to his cell phone. "I'm not tired yet," he said as he lay back in the duvet again, this time lying on his back so they couldn't see each other. 

"Play, I'll fall asleep even when there’s a war outside." 

"That's true," the younger laughed, remembering all the days Ran and he had been arguing and running around the house as Makoto tried to fall asleep or prepare for exams. Just the memory of his sister made him sigh loudly. "Ran has changed a lot, hasn't she?" 

Makoto sighed as did his brother. "Yes." 

Then neither of them said anything. Makoto fell asleep in two minutes.

When Makoto woke up, it was just before seven in the morning. He hadn't liked getting up in the morning since elementary school. He always had to set an alarm for an hour before he planned to get up. He always rolled from side to side, trying to wake up. As he slept at Haruka, he often hit his head with his alarm. The brunette may have been a morning bird, getting up before Makoto's alarm clock even rang, but the annoying sound disturbed him as he prepared his usual morning bath. But with the college came a lot of responsibilities, and although he got used to the hustle and bustle of the big city for a long time, he got used to getting up early - to get a shower, breakfast and a direct train to Haruka, with whom he then went to morning training. To see his friend in the morning, who was smiling internally and rejoicing that he could get wet in chlorinated water less than an hour after waking up; pleased him so much that he forgot his fatigue. 

So his body was used to getting up before the sun came up. It didn't realize there was no reason to get up this time. He had a week off. A week with family. A week without Haruka. His chest ached strangely over the last one though. 

He sat on the futon and looked out the glass door, where he had a direct view of the ocean. Was it strange that even before his phobia, the look always reassured him? He was able to think about important things and turn each other off. Hearing the waves and feeling the salty air gave him the peace he sometimes lost over his life. 

He got up quietly so as not to wake Ren, who was lounging on the bed. He picked up the duvet Ren had thrown off the ground and covered him up to his neck. Ren smiled from his sleep and snuggled against the duvet, as he had once done at his favorite stuffed animal. He walked out the door and noticed that the kitchen light was already lit. He could already hear the muffled voices of his parents from the stairs. He smiled and entered the living room, which was connected to the kitchen and dining room. "Good morning." 

"Sweetheart," his mother smiled at him, immediately pointing to the bun in front of her. "Do you want some?" 

"Maybe later." He looked at his father, who was smiling kindly at him, as always with a newspaper in front of him. "How was your business trip?" 

"Oh, I'll have to tell you," his father said, setting the newspaper aside and started talking. Before he finished his story of how his boss got drunk and then fainted in the hot springs, they made almost half a bun together. Mrs. Tachibana always laughed that she already understood why they were so tall when they were still eating. "Are you planning anything today?" 

"No," Makoto said truthfully. "Maybe I'll just learn for a while, maybe I'll look around the city..." 

"I wanted to go fishing today." 

Makoto understood what his father meant. Everyone who knew Makoto claimed to be Haruka's personal translator. That he could read his emotions and easily understand what he was thinking. But he learned it only thanks to his father. Although he was more open than Haruka, they had one thing in common - he couldn’t name his desires and emotions exactly. He always pushed them wrapped in something that not everyone looked through. As a child, he didn't understand, wondering everything his mother had done for his father, though he had never told himself. " _ He's just like that _ ," she told him. And only after he started talking to Haruka did he understand. But then it was easier for him to understand his father. "I'd love to go with you."

"Really? You don't have to if you don't want to," his father said, but Makoto didn't miss how his eyes lit up with flames that always meant he was happy. 

"I want to." With that, he swallowed the last bite and stood up. "I'm going to dress appropriately." 

"Please wake Ren, Ran and him have to go to school." 

"Okay." 

Makoto walked into the room and slowly woke up his brother. He had to wake him five more times while taking a shower, changing clothes, and preparing things for the trip. He already understood why his mother always frowned at him and bought him an alarm clock for his tenth birthday. To complete this desperate routine every day would soon bore him. He helped Ren tie a yellow tie around his neck and they went downstairs together. His father was also disguised and putting on his shoes. "Are you going fishing?" Ren asked excitedly, seeing the wrapped rods. "I want to go too!" 

"You have to go to school, young man," his mother said. Ren pursed his lips cutely. 

"You can come with us on the weekend," Makoto suggested as he put on his clothes and slung a bag with a rod over his back. 

"Really?" He asked enthusiastically. 

"Sure," his father confirmed. 

"Enjoy it," his mother said as she kissed them both on the cheek and they walked out the door together. Before the door closed behind them, they heard her cry, “Ran! Get up already! Breakfast is ready!” Only the name of his sister made Makoto stop. He still wanted to look down the hall toward her room, see her, and know that she was wearing her school uniform, a girl's uniform, erased makeup, and her hair combed as sweetly as it had always been; but the door was long closed. He squeezed the strap on his shoulder more and sighed. He knew that her mother would never allow her to go to school other than as appropriate for a young lady in this country, but he still couldn't stop thinking about it. The girl who showed up between the doors last night couldn't be his underage sister… 

Together, they descended all the steps, turned left, to a forest with a calm, wide lake. The sun wasn’t yet well above the sea, but thanks to the tall trees that bent over them, the sun's rays had no chance of penetrating and touching their skin. There was still a little fog over the lake, and a couple of frogs echoed in the distance, their voices intertwining like symphonies. The wonderful peace that Makoto needed for his busy mind. 

But now none of that worked. Although he tried to suck in fresh air through his nostrils and exhale deeply everything that bothered him, it returned. He didn’t understand himself. Why did he act like that? His sister had a right to grow up. Just like him. No one slowed him down, no one asked him anything, no one forbade him anything. He should let her puberty run free, not wondering what is happening to her. His mother was right, the girls always grew up faster, he already knew this in elementary school, when a gap formed between him and the girls, which he was able to bridge only in high school; but the main thing was that he would never understand. As a man, he would sometimes be able to advise Ren on how to tie a tie or what to buy his girlfriend for his birthday; but he will never be able to advise and be there for Ran. 

He frowned. Was that it? Knowing that his time with his beloved sister has expired and is it time to make room for another man? Is that why it scared him so much? 

"I don't know how it's possible, but I can feel your thinking." Makoto winced. He looked at his father, who was smiling kindly at him and had a slightly raised eyebrow. "Is there something wrong?" 

"N-no, nothing." A learned sentence he'd used for so many years. 

"Makoto," his father began softly. He didn't have to say anything more. From the tone, Makoto knew what his father was suggesting. He really wanted to know if anything was done. He wanted to listen to him. He knew his father wasn't exactly a walking book of advice and human emotions — hence his empathetic mother — but he could help him organize his thoughts, relieve the pressure on his chest when he could finally speak.

"It's Ran," the brunet began, squeezing the rod more in his hands. "Aren't you scared she has a boyfriend?" 

"Makoto, she's maturing. And we both know that sooner or later she would bring someone home." 

"But she's only twelve." 

"And how old were you when you first fell in love?" Makoto sighed aloud. He was the same age as Ran. But he still didn't understand what the palpitations and redness of his face meant. Until he looked into Haruka's eyes full of pain from the way he hadn't noticed him lately. At that moment, he understood everything. And he confessed his feelings. But nothing happened for a whole year. They kept going out together, visiting, helping to learn, swimming together. But the first kiss and touch — he shook his head. He didn't want to think about that right now. "Exactly," his father said, looking back at the surface of the lake where a few water lovers were running. "It's nothing serious. Wouldn't it be me who should be more afraid? I'm her father." 

"I guess so," Makoto admitted. Their father always took good care of them. And if he wasn't worried, he shouldn't be either. If his parents are at peace, he should rise above all this and not try to create problems where they weren't even there. "Thank you." His father smiled at him again, carefully fastening the rod to the handle next to him. "Dad?" 

"Yes?" 

"When was the last time you and your mom had time just for yourself?" 

"Well, I could count it on the fingers of one hand." 

When they returned home five hours later, they were alone. Ran and Ren were at school, while his mother had been helping out as a saleswoman and arranger in a small flower shop for a few years. Makoto offered to clean and tidy their rods. He also did this because when he was sitting in the room, all his memories of camping came back to him. Already when Makoto was five years old, he went with his family under the tent for the first night. Even though he was afraid of the darkness and wasn’t entirely sure at night, it was enough for him to dig his nose into his mother's chest and nap contentedly until morning. Having breakfast in the cold morning, walking all day in the woods, swimming in the lake, cooking in a pot over the fire, watching the stars at night and hearing all the sounds of the forest - he was glad his parents had taught him to love nature. When his younger siblings were born, he went camping alone with his father for some time. However, at the age of two, they were ready to join them and always drove for several nights outside the fishing town. This year was the first time he didn’t participate in family camping. And he wasn't the only one. Even Ran decided that it would be the first week she would spend at home alone. Ren, who always hung on to Ran and followed her like a tail - even more than behind him, but Haruka was still on top - didn't object. Ran was going through the first phase of puberty and wanted to become independent. They could only see her between the doors of the house, between the doors to the room, and for dinner. 

Makoto hung the rod bags on a hook next to the door and went out in the closet. He went to the kitchen, which smelled wonderfully of fish and roasted vegetables. While cleaning, his father decided to cook the fish they caught. Makoto preferred to set them free, he didn't even like stabbing worms, others had to do it for him; but he and his father always took the catch home. Their mother loved trout, and when they caught one, it was clear that despite Makoto's puppy eyes, this one would not return to the lake. "It looks great," he commented on his father's work as he looked at the prepared plates, salads, and baked fish in the oven. "Mom will be thrilled." 

"What about?" They both turned to the door where their mother stood and took off her yellow jacket. She always wore it only in the fall, when she didn't attract all the wasps in the area thanks to the bright color. "Oh, I knew I smelt something great!" She laughed, clasped her hands together, and moved closer to the kitchen counter. "Did you catch that?" 

Makoto's father grunted in agreement and took the fish roaster out of the oven. He immediately began slicing it and putting it on three prepared plates. "Makoto asked me today when we only had time for ourselves. So I told him about how two disobedient children have been left on our necks since he left the house, so like never.”

"Don't talk about our children like that," she scolded him with a playful, angry expression and laughed at once. 

"So Makoto thought we could go somewhere tonight." 

"We can't," his mother countered, looking at her son. "You came here to rest, not to guard your siblings." 

"I don't even have to watch them properly anymore, they are almost adults." 

"Oh, really?" Her voice showed that she wondered what a change her older son had undergone in a few hours. Wasn't he nervous about what his sister looked like a few hours ago? She looked at her husband, who smiled at her and winked. She understood. "In that case - where are we going, darling?" She leaned over her husband and kissed him on the cheek. 

"Then I'll leave you here," Makoto said, picking up a full plate and leaving the kitchen. Behind him, he heard the protests of his mother, who didn’t like when they were eating separately, but her protests were soon stopped by her husband's kisses. Makoto quickly closed the door behind him and laughed. He was at an age when he didn't mind his parents confessing their love before him. He was glad that even after so many years, they were in love as they once did when they met. He sat down at the table, pulled an anatomy book from his bag, and learned as he ate. 

He was torn from reading by Ren, who threw his bag into the corner and immediately fell into the duvet. "School will kill me," he moaned into his pillow, kicking his mattress several times. 

Makoto laughed, closed the book, and looked at his brother. "A difficult day?" 

"The worst," his brother moaned, rolling on his back so he could look at him. "I don't understand why I signed up for football. Football! It's cold outside, you're going to sweat… Once we're done, I thought I'd pass out. And I still had school service! And I had to lock the gym, locker rooms and oversee the cleaning. And let me tell you, if you have someone like Kentara Saito in class, it's an extra hour's work.” Kentara was one of Ren's closest friends. He often met him on the beach, playing together with other boys with a ball or playing a board game of go. 

"So we're not playing games today?" 

"Really?" At that moment, Ren forgot all his fatigue, sat down on the bed and his eyes lit up. "I'm just going to take a shower, wait for me!" 

Before Makoto could answer, Ren ran out of the room and ran to the bathroom. Brunet just laughed, set the book aside, and picked up his plate. As he descended the stairs, he noticed the silence of the house. His parents had been gone for some time. He didn't even notice when they left. He took the plate to the kitchen, washed it, and put it back in its place in the cupboard. He still remembered where to put him. When he looked around the house, nothing so fundamental had changed in him. He was actually happy for it. 

"I'm home." Makoto entered the hallway, looking out the door. Ran stood by them, hung her coat on a hook beside the door, and took off her shoes. 

"Hello," Makoto greeted her with a smile perhaps wider than he intended. The strange girl he saw yesterday was gone. Now in front of him stood - still quite tall for her age - a sister in a typical, gray uniform, without make-up, her hair tied in a thick tail. 

"Hi," she replied a little coldly. 

Makoto tried not to feel the annoying pressure on his chest. "Can I get you something to eat?" 

"I've already eaten." She put on her white slippers and looked into the living room. "Where are mom and dad?" 

"They went out. Enjoy a little romance.” 

"Oh," she said without interest, walking around him. 

"Wait, Ran," Makoto said, turning. Ran was already standing at the door of her room. She stopped and looked at him. She raised an eyebrow as a sign that she was listening. "We'll play games with Ren, won't you join?" 

"I don’t want to." 

"Okay, so - do you want to be there with us?" 

"I have a lot of work." 

"What work?"

"School work, Makoto. Surprisingly." 

Makoto cleared his throat so as not to comment on her tone. "I know, I've had a lot—" 

"You see," she said before entering her room and slammed the door a little too hard. 

Makoto starred in the same direction for a moment before hearing his brother run from the bathroom back to the room. Makoto had to take several deep breaths to breathe again. His heart began to pound as usual before the race. Nervousness and fear. He shouldn't have experienced this after talking a few words to his sibling, should he? 

When he returned to the room, Ren was already waiting for him with the console on. From somewhere he pulled out a large bag of potato chips and ate casually out of them. Makoto sat down next to him, and when he picked up the remote, Ren asked, "Is Satan's fruit home yet?" 

"Satan's fruit?" He asked, half frightened, half laughing. 

"The second child born just like me." Ren turned on the game and began to choose the character he wanted to play for that night. 

"Is that how you talk about your younger sister?" 

"If she deserves it," he shrugged. 

"And how do you talk about me?" 

"Only in a good way!" Ren shouted, a little hurt. 

"Okay," Makoto laughed, and he joined the game. They only played for a few minutes when Makoto felt the pressure on his chest still not releasing. Out of the corner of his eye, he looked at Reno, who was chewing on the chips with satisfaction and his eyes dangling from the screen in front of him. "Ren?" 

"Yes?" 

"Do you know the boy Ran is dating?" 

"Oh yeah." 

"Is he a good boy?" 

"I don't know," Ren said truthfully. "I don’t know him. We don't go to the same school. " 

"And how come Ran knows him?" 

"He's the son of a teacher who runs a calligraphy club that a sister goes to." 

"Calligraphy?" Makoto asked in surprise. Ran was always more vigorous. He could imagine her in a debate circle or even in one of the martial arts. But calligraphy? 

"Yeah, before the semester ends, they're supposed to have their first show. Ran has been nervous since then. She probably doesn't do well,” Ren laughed mischievously. 

"It's not enough for her to run around the field and be fulfilled," Makoto returned. 

"That wasn't nice, onii-chan," Ren said, beating him in the game immediately. "And you got it!" 

"That's not fair!" Makoto shouted unhappily. 

"That’s for making fun of me," he said, sticking out his tongue at him, and they both laughed. "Retaliation?" 

"Why are you even asking?" 

They played until the evening. When Makoto saw that it was a little after ten in the evening, he decided it was time to stop playing. Ren tried to convince him that he would be rested for school even if they played an extra hour, but Makoto still didn't agree. Before the older man could shower and walk back into the room, Ren had been grunting contentedly for a long time. Makoto covered him again and stroked his dark brown hair. He walked over to the table, picked up the anatomy book, and walked into the living room. He turned on the light and began to read.

He only read for a few minutes when he realized he was just bored with the book. It was too late to learn. It wasn't a problem in Tokyo, but in the warmth of home, where every part made him rest, it just wasn't possible. He already understood why he preferred to sit in the library for hours. He sat down on the couch and wondered what he could do. He wasn't tired yet. His parents had written to him half an hour ago that they had stayed with one of their acquaintances on their way home, so he didn't expect to be home until midnight. In addition, they will be tired enough not to want to talk to him. Ren slept. And Ran- Makoto frowned. What about Ran? 

He got up and walked down the hall. A faint glow of a switched-on lamp wafted from under her door. He walked a little closer to the door and heard her whisper something. Learning? So late at night? Ren said they had had a lot of work at the club. And she was determined as their father, who was able not to sleep for three days until he finished the work he needed to do. 

He needed to talk to her. Not about her boyfriend, not what changed. Just talk to her. As before. Combing her hair as she tells him what happened that day. Drink tea with her and talk about the future she dreamed years ago of being a horse breeder. Has that changed yet? Does he have other plans? He wanted to know everything. His sister was changing, and he didn't want to be estranged from her. 

He went back to the kitchen and began searching the drawers until he found the cookies that everyone at home loved so much. He poured them into a bowl and placed them on a tray on which he placed two glasses of cold cocoa. He picked up the tray, walked back to the door where Ran had a room and— "But I can't," his sister said loudly, laughing. That's how he last heard her laugh on the phone almost three-quarters of a year ago. "But only for a while, okay?" Then all he could hear was — Makoto didn't really know what it was. Rustling? As if the fabric were rubbing against each other? 

Makoto’s eyes widened. Waiting for nothing, he opened the door and shouted, "Ran!" 

"Makoto!" Ran shouted, startled, and quickly pulled her hands to her chest. On her  _ half-naked  _ chest. But Makoto didn't pay as much attention to it as the face on the laptop screen in front of her. Ran looked frightened in the same direction, and closed the laptop quickly. There was a crunch, apparently a few buttons fell out of the keyboard under her power. "What are you doing here ?!" she asked, startled, and with one hand she began to look for a T-shirt she had thrown on the floor. 

"I? What are you doing here?” He asked, startled, placing the tray on the table next to the door and moving a little closer to his sister. He ignored the fact that she blushed too much and tried to cover the bright red bra, over which she began to pull on a T-shirt with a children's print of cats. The irony would have made Makoto laugh at that moment if he still hadn't thought of the face he'd seen a moment ago. Man's face. An  _ adult  _ man’s face. "What was that, Ran?" 

"Go away," Ran said as she began to pull the hem of her T-shirt lower and lower, as if she wanted to hide in it. "Go away, Makoto." 

"I'm not going until you tell me who it was and what you were doing here?" 

"That's none of your business!" 

"But it is, Ran!" Although he didn't want to, he shouted. He didn't sound angry or rude, but frightened. He didn't understand, he didn't know, but he was old enough to guess. His little sister was having a video call with an adult man with her T-shirt off. That was enough to make him realize what it was all about. "Who was that?" 

"It doesn’t matter." 

"No, Ran. Who was that?” He repeated his question. 

"You're not my dad, Makoto," she replied cheekily. The red in her face was no longer of shame or humiliation, but of anger. How could he afford to invade her privacy? 

"I'm not. But maybe Dad would like to know what's going on here. " 

"You won't do that," Ran said in a harsh voice, clenching her fist. 

"I won't if you tell me who it was." 

Ran thought for a moment. She ran her eyes around the room for a moment. "My boyfriend." 

"Was that Akinori?" Ran just nodded. “He didn’t look like twelve." 

"That screen distorts." 

"More than fifteen years?" 

"Makoto, he's my boyfriend," Ran said firmly, rising. Makoto was terrified of how tall she was. "Get out of my room." 

“Ran— "

“Go away.”

“R— "

“Get out!" Makoto winced. Ran raised her voice often. Even her laughter was loud and sharp. But she had never been so rude to him. He had no idea what he should do. Listen to her? Can a seven-year-younger sister order him? Ran looked into his eyes. She herself seemed surprised at how loud she was. 

"What's going on here?" They both looked at the door where their mother stood. She looked at them carefully, her arms crossed over her chest. 

"Nothing, Mom," Makoto said, smiling at her. 

"Sure," Ran laughed, and Makoto looked at her. As soon as their eyes met, she just snorted and shook her head. Why was she suddenly so dismissive? He felt as if her presence bothered her. "Nothing ever happens." 

"Ran?" Her mother asked, tilting her head to the side. "Are you all right?" Ran just nodded. 

"I just came to say good night to Ran," Makoto said, walking around the mother in the doorway and going up the stairs to the room before he could run into his father, who wouldn't let him go. He quietly opened the door to the room and lay down on the futon that had been lying on the ground since last night. He and Ren were too lazy to pack up and hang out on him at all. In some places, crumb crumbs stabbed him in the body. 

Makoto rolled onto his stomach, hugged the pillow, dug his chin into it, and looked out the glass door from the balcony to the ocean. It shimmered beautifully and the waves were slow. It was a quiet night. Which couldn’t be said of Makoto's mind, which was now experiencing a devastating typhoon. He still couldn't erase what he saw from his memory. Or rather -  _ who  _ he saw. 

No. He was sure he had seen a grown man. Black hair, blue eyes - almost as bright as Haruka's. He must have been wearing a white cotton shirt, expensive even from a look. He had a clearly visible Adam’s apple on his neck, and what might have seemed only a reflection was certainly a faint stubble. 

Makoto was sure he had seen an  _ adult  _ man. Who was that?

Makoto couldn't sleep all night. He rolled from one side to the other. As Ren began to speak from sleep, he listened to his story of a run-down rabbit to the end. But even that failed him. He fell asleep for a few hours when the sun was rising. He was awakened as Ren crossed him in the morning so he could put on his school uniform and pack for school, which he had forgotten the day before. 

It wasn't until the younger man closed the door behind him that Makoto decided it was time to get up. It was clear that he would not sleep anymore. He came out of the room when everyone in the house was gone. They let him rest, thinking he had been studying all night. But he really studied. Just not things to school, but his sister's love affair. Just the thought of any "love affair" covered his whole body with icy sweat. He preferred to take a shower, hoping the hot water droplets would calm his roaring mind. 

It only helped for a while. As he dried himself and touched every muscle on his body with a towel, he wondered how much his sister knew about the male body. This disgusted him so much that he dressed quickly and went to the kitchen to have breakfast. He stopped as she passed her room. If only he could peek— "Makoto," he scolded himself and sighed. He would never forgive himself this. He couldn't rummage through her things. He was even nervous when he helped Haruka move in his apartment. He felt embarrassed as he unpacked the boxes and got through his belongings. He knew he wouldn't come across anything that might shock him — though the framed photo from their high school final ceremony surprised him — but it still struck him how pleased he was to be able to touch Haruka's belongings. And still he was afraid of what he might reveal. What if Haruka wrote a secret diary about all the lovers he didn't even tell him about? Could Ran have it too? 

He shook his head, stepped forward, and walked over to the drawer with sweets. He needed to calm down. And chocolate was the right solution. He put several tables of sweets in his mouth and began to roll it in his mouth. It tasted great, but he still didn't enjoy it as much as he wanted. He had so many questions in his head! He was so confused the last time he realized what his feelings for Haruka meant. 

He needed fresh air. He hid the chocolate back in the drawer and walked to the door, put on his shoes, and went outside. He almost forgot to lock the door. He walked through the alleys he knew so well. Occasionally he came across a familiar face, mostly elderly women, who exchanged a few words with him. Although he smiled at everyone and, as always, he was labeled as  _ the polite boy _ , his mind was somewhere else. He kept thinking about things that just scared him. 

And maybe - maybe he was just overthinking. Haruka always said that sometimes he thought of the worst. There was always fear behind his smile. Even from things so banal that it was pointless to stress them out. As he thought about it, he stopped in his walk at the pier where several ships were moored. The fishermen laughed out loud and told each other jokes that didn't reach his ears. 

He sighed. You had to talk to Ran. It was the only solution. In quiet room. Alone. Without prejudices. If he wanted to know something, he shouldn't have on his mind that she had no idea what it was all about. He needed the facts, he knew few of them, and he shook his head at the ones he had learned last night -- No. He had to stop thinking about it. It didn't do him any good.

He stopped as he walked down the alley that was to lead him to the main staircase to their house. On the corner was their favorite bakery. They always had cakes made there for birthday parties. Everyone there knew them by name. And Ran loved their rhubarb cakes. He searched his pocket quickly and smiled as he felt the wallet he always carried with him. He checked its contents and calculated that he could buy at least a dozen. Ran will be happy. 

With a smile, he went to the bakery. He decided to take the main street that led around the ocean. Despite the colder weather, the sun shone quite brightly and the rays warmed his face pleasantly. They made him slow down a little. He looked toward the ocean, which was as calm as the days before. He closed his eyes and sucked in the strong air that blew from him. Salty, light, pleasant. The way he always remembered. 

He opened his eyes and wanted to walk again when a familiar face flickered in front of him. He blinked to make sure he saw correctly, but - yes. He saw too well. Across the street, where only a few cars or students cycled, was Ran. She wasn’t wearing her school uniform, but a tight-fitting white long-sleeved T-shirt and short, black skirt. Her hair was loose again and her lips were painted in red. She definitely didn't go to school like this in the morning. If her mother saw her like that, she would immediately force her to take it off. 

Makoto frowned. Ran was supposed to be at school. For a few more hours. Then followed by a club where she met the boy he was trying not to think about. But the man leaning against the hood of a dark blue car was certainly not her classmate or acquaintance. It was clear from the look that he was even older than Makoto. Maybe he was closer to their father's age than his. He had dark black hair, even darker than Haruka's. They almost shone blue in the sun. He was tall, but Makoto still felt that if he stood beside him, he would have to lift his chin a little. He was wearing a suit that looked expensive from a distance. But what made Makoto more interested was his right hand, which touched Ran's face and she blushed slightly. She smiled at him and caressed her hand like the cat Makoto fed on the stairs, always demanding his attention. 

Something forced him to move again. Not towards the bakery, but towards them. He stood next to the car for a moment. Ran was the first to notice him. Comically, her pupils dilated and she opened her mouth, from which nothing came. Her whole body froze, captivating the man in front of her. He looked at Makoto and smiled. He withdrew his hand back to his body and straightened. Makoto was right, a few inches taller than him. 

"Makoto," Ran breathed his name, and her brother looked at her. "Are you following me?" 

"I would never have thought of that," he said truthfully. "But now I see that I may have." 

"Makoto?" Brunet looked beside Ran at the man who had just said his name. It sounded so strange from his mouth. "Oh, older brother studying in Tokyo - what was that, Ran?" 

Ran was about to answer when Makoto overtook her, "It doesn't matter, sir."

"Don’t mind the formalities," he laughed, holding out his hand in front of him. "I'm Akinori." Makoto didn't take his hand. He looked at it and frowned. This was a gesture that some vendors liked to import from Europe and practice in purely old Japanese villages. They always embarrassed everyone. 

"Ran, we're going home," Makoto said, moving closer to his sister, ignoring Akinori completely. 

"No," Ran said, taking a step back. "I already have plans." 

"What?" 

"What's the matter with you?" 

"Oh, please, don’t argue," the man said as he tried to grab Ran's hand. But Makoto was faster. He pulled her to his side until she swayed and hit her developed muscle in his arm with her nose. Akinori blinked in confusion and looked at Makoto. He shivered. The green look was strangely dark. Although Makoto was smiling, Akinori felt nothing warm. 

"Please, let her be," he said to the elder before turning his back on him, and he and Ran crossed the road so they could walk the familiar way home. Ran tried to snatch him all the time, but Makoto held her tight. He didn't turn because he knew that as soon as he looked into her face, he would regret it. He needed to go home with her, to safety. Knowing that no one will think about it today— He took a deep breath. No. He didn't want to think about it either. 

"Let me go!" Ran suddenly shouted so loud it made Makoto stop. He turned and released her. He watched in horror as she rubbed a spot on her wrist. It was a little red. He swallowed dry. He remembered his only quarrel with Haruka, a year and a half ago at the Obon celebrations. He, too, had a red wrist that turned into a small bruise in a few hours. It wasn't very visible, but some - Nagisa, Rei and Rin - noticed it, but when asked about her, he said only that he wasn’t careful and injured himself. He never admitted that Makoto's touch was to blame. Yet the pressure, the knowledge that he had hurt him, never disappeared. The thought of doing this to his sister made his stomach clench. "What the hell was that?!" 

"Shouldn't I rather ask you that?" Makoto asked in disbelief. "Was that your boyfriend?" 

"It doesn’t matter." 

"Was he?" 

"I'm saying it doesn't matter!" She shouted at him, frowning. Her face was red with rage. 

"It isn’t! Don't you understand what's going on here? He's a grown man!” 

"And what?!" 

"An adult man, Ran. Don't you know what such a man wants?!” 

"Of course I know!" She shouted at him just as loud. "He wants me!" 

Makoto was taken aback by her straightforwardness. "If you know, why are you with him?" 

"Why wouldn't I be? He's a great man! And he loves me!” 

"He doesn't love you, Ran." 

"How can you know?!" 

"I just know it." 

"How?!" 

"I know." 

"How!?" 

"Because you're still a child, Ran!" Makoto shouted, and Ran took a step back. Yes, she'd heard him angry a few times, mostly at games when he lost, but that was something else. This was aimed at her. His face was caring, his look frightened, but his voice was rough and stern. "He wants - he wants something else!" 

Ran pulled the hand he was holding closer to her chest. "How can you be so mean?" She asked in a low voice. 

Makoto blinked in confusion. "M-mean?" 

"You know nothing about him at all." 

"All I had to do was see him." 

"It's called hypocrisy."

"Ran, it's not like that." 

"Don't you want me to be happy?" 

"Of course I do." 

"Then why do you want to take it from me?!" Tears welled in her eyes. Makoto didn't have the strength to say anything more. He sighed sadly. He moved closer to her, spreading his arms hoping to hug her, but Ran pushed his hands away. "I don't want to!" She shouted before she walked around him and ran to the stairs that led to their house. 

Makoto stood in the same spot for a few more minutes. He, too, felt tears burning in his eyes.

Makoto didn’t return home until the sun was setting. The streets were flooded with dark yellow, waves were rolling on the ocean surface, and seagulls could be heard everywhere. He held a box of chocolate, cherry, and rhubarb cakes. As he passed the crossroads between his and Haruka's house, he looked sadly in his direction. He needs the brunette here now. It always gave him peace. 

When he reached the door of their house, he took several deep breaths. He knew that what he was about to do was despite all his convictions. He never tried to force anyone. He gave advice, cared for his friends, but would never allow himself to interfere in anyone's private life. Although he disagreed with some things, even though he knew he could only protect someone with his actions or words; he didn't do it. He knew that the only way to move on in life was through the mistakes and failures one went through. He was no exception. 

But now it wasn’t true. There were more than a few bumps or a broken heart at stake. 

He opened the door, took off his shoes, and entered the kitchen without greeting. As he expected, everyone sat at the table and finished dinner. "Oh, sweetheart, you're home," his mother greeted him with her sweet smile first. His father just smiled at him, his brother greeted him loudly, and Ran - she was just looking somewhere in front of her, chopsticks clenched in her hands. 

"Sorry I didn't make it in time," he said as he moved closer to the table and placed a box of pastries on it. "Here's my apology." 

"Cherry cake!" Ren shouted excitedly as he took one. His mother wanted to object, but it was too late. He chewed contentedly, humming the jingle from his favorite show. 

"How was your meeting with your friends?" His mother asked. 

He didn't like to lie. After what happened between him and Ran, he needed a walk. He walked into the woods, where he was fishing with his father, sitting by the water, thinking. Then he walked to the shrine, where he prayed and took a detour back to the dock so he could buy cakes, as he had originally intended. Even though he was an adult and traveled in Tokyo in the morning, he knew his parents would be nervous if they didn't know where he had been for such a long time. So he sent them a message that he had met his friends and had coffee with them. It was nicer than admitting why he needed to roam Iwatobi.

But now was the time to admit the truth. "I haven't met them." 

"Oh, did something happen?" 

Makoto felt Ran glare at him. But he refused to look at her. He watched his mother, who asked him with her turquoise look if everything was okay. And they both knew from their deep empathy that it wasn't. "No. Everything is alright. But I haven't met anyone. I just needed to clear my head." 

"Something happened?" 

"Ye—" 

"Makoto," Ran said suddenly, and Makoto finally looked at her. The chopsticks were already placed next to her right, the food set aside. She sat up straight, as if ready to jump on his neck. Stern look, eyebrows dangerously close together.

"Ran?" Their father asked, frowning. He, too, felt a dense atmosphere that suddenly formed around them. Ren settled into his seat and ate quietly, his eyes darting among his older siblings. 

“Something happened," Makoto admitted. 

"Makoto," the younger sister tried to warn him once more. 

"It's about Ran—" 

"Mak-" 

"—And her boyfriend—" 

"No." 

"—Which I saw today—" 

"Enough." 

"—And it's not the boy—" 

"Silence." 

"—Which she brought here—" 

“Mako—"

“—But an adult man." 

"Makoto!" Ran shouted, banging her fits on the table. All the plates jumped. 

"Don't hit the table," her father warned, examining her closely. 

Ran blushed. They didn't know if it was shame or anger. "H-he's lying!" 

"Makoto?" Their mother asked in disbelief. 

"Yes!" 

"I'm not lying," Makoto said in his defense, looking at his parents. "I saw her when she was supposed to be in school. She was with a man. An adult man. He introduced himself to me as Akinori." 

"Akinori?" Their mother asked, frowning. 

"Why were you with an adult man, Ran?" Her father asked. 

"T-that's not true!" 

"Ran," her mother warned her. "Before you lie, realize that Iwatobi is still quite a small town. If Makoto saw you, other people must have seen you. And the truth will soon come to us." 

Ran shook. "N-no!" 

"Yes," he added to his wife. "So the truth is…?" 

"T-that’s… That’s…" Ran lowered her head and looked at the corner of the table. Makoto saw her shake. He felt sorry for her. He loved her. And now he felt how nervous and painful she was. He never wanted to do anything like that to her. He didn't want to stop her or make her cry. He was already reaching for her when Ran looked at him, pure anger burning in her eyes and her hands clenched into fists. "Just because you're ashamed of your relationship doesn't mean I have to be ashamed of mine!" 

"Relationship?" The parents said at the same time, this time focusing on their oldest offspring. 

"What relationship?" His mother asked, blinking in confusion. 

"Ha, your beloved son didn't brag about that, did he?" 

"I’m not in a relationship." 

"What about  _ Haru-chan _ ?" Makoto felt himself shake. It had been two days since he had said his name. He thought of him, but didn't open his mouth to talk about him. It was weird. He was with Haruka so often that he talked about him as if he were talking about himself. Their lives were interconnected. True, what was between them years ago helped him realize his sexuality, but since then… "Haru and I are just friends." 

"You're incredible," Ran shook her head and snorted. 

"What are you saying, Ran? After all, they are both boys, what kind of relationship would they have?”

Oh yes. That is exactly why Makoto didn’t yet intend to entrust his orientation to his parents. They were nice, helpful, open. He was never afraid to confide in them. But still in his heart was the doubt that they wouldn’t understand. His mother kept telling him how great a father he would be and she was looking forward to her first grandchildren. His father dreamed that one day he would bring home a beautiful and educated girl and they would live not far from them. He was always a good son, he tried to fulfill everything for them. But he knew he would never keep that wish. But he wanted to avoid it as long as he could. 

"Then let Makoto tell you something about it," Ran said as she stood up and waved at Makoto. "About their nights when they slept with each other and cuddled in bed." 

"Ran!" There was nervousness and horror in Makoto's voice. How could Ran know that? 

"What is? Shouldn't parents know?” 

"T-that's none of your business," Makoto said in the strongest voice he could find. Even so, his entire Adam apple shook. 

"So why are you dealing with my relationship?" 

"Because he's a grown man, Ran!" 

"And what?!" 

"You don't know what he wants from you!" 

"I know very well!" 

"You don't know!" 

"Why shouldn't I know?" 

"Because you're still a child, Ran! You are a little girl who thinks that if a guy buys her something nice, he will marry her one day and take her to his house, where he will take care of her and shower her with love. But it isn’t so! That's not how men treat little girls. They want to enjoy themselves, to add excitement. He is bored. Do you understand? He is not with you to get on your knees and ask for your hand once, but to sleep with you! You are too small to understand what he wants from you, let alone know what true love is!” 

Makoto's speech shocked everyone in the room. Ren looked at him in fright, his father frowning, and somewhere in the middle of it, his mother covered her mouth in horror. A Ran? She looked at him with the most hurt look, tears in her eyes. Her fists were buried in her skirt - that annoying skirt that was just too short! - and her shoulders shook. Makoto could feel himself breathing fast. His whole chest jumped, his heart pounding. 

The kitchen was stuffy, no one could breathe properly. Everyone looked at each other in confusion. The silence between them was finally broken by Ran with words aimed at Makoto: "I hate you." With that, she turned and hurried to her room, slamming the door behind her until all the paintings on the wall shuddered. 

"I'll go see her," their mother said carefully, taking off her apron and walking in the same direction as her only daughter.

Makoto stood in place, his whole palm shaking. The heart, which had been pounding so hard a moment ago, suddenly calmed and missed a few beats. His lungs stopped working for a moment. His mind calmed. All she could say was what Ran had said.  _ I hate you, I hate you, I hate you _ . It gave him a headache. 

"Onii-chan?" Makoto looked at Ren, who was looking at him strangely. His dark brown eyes showed how confused he was. "Are you okay?" 

"You're pale," his father added. 

"I'm fine." He was glad he had learned this sentence so perfectly in so many years that no one knew he had lied. Even so, it occurred to him that none of the men trusted it much. Maybe because he didn't add his typical, caring smile. He couldn't force his face to smile. The air in the room was suddenly too heavy. A severe pain settled on his chest, forcing him to cough. "I'll go for a walk." By the time any of them said anything, he was out the door.

The humid, hot air indicated that it would soon be raining. The wind blew through the treetops and grew louder. In the night sky, not a single star could be seen through the black clouds. The lamps illuminated only the staircase that led down to the oceans or up to the shrine. He came to a crossroads where he had stood so many times. He raised his head to the arch in front of Haruka's house. He could still imagine the brunette standing on the last step, looking at him, with that neutral but welcoming look.

He smiled. He missed him. Now more than last week. "Wow," he whispered to himself, as he always did when he was alone. "It's been a week." With that, he went upstairs to Haruka's house. No lights shone inside. He walked to the door and rang the bell. No one opened it for him even after the third ring. His parents were apparently on the road again, as they were in nature. They were as free as Haruka. And that was destroying Makoto inside a little. They were free for themselves, not for their son. He always felt sorry for Haruka spending so many nights alone. 

He opened the gate to the garden, walked around the house, and walked to the back entrance, as usual, whenever Haruka didn't open it for him. The keys were still in place. When he unlocked the door, he smelled the pleasant scent of saffron and vanilla. He closed behind him, took off his shoes, and walked into the main room, which served as both the dining room and the living room. Several fresh flowers were laid on the table, and he could still feel the burning candle that had to be laid on Grandma Nanase's altar a few days ago. Makoto's mother always took care of the house of the Nanase family when none of their owners had time to water the garden, flowers in the house or wipe off the dust. She always took care of the house as her own. He could feel his mother's touch on the wiped shelves and flowers, and yet there was still plenty of Haruka left. 

He pushed through the door that led to the porch, which had a magnificent view of the entire garden. He opened them to let fresh air into the room. He sat down on the porch, hidden under a small roof, yet he could still see the sky, where the clouds allowed the moon for a moment to illuminate the ground beneath him. The moon reminded him of all the nights he had spent with Haruka. He pulled his legs to his chest and rested his chin on his knees. Now he would need exactly what Haruka did whenever they were alone. His firm arms wrapped around his shoulders and pulled him to his smaller chest, which would rub against Makoto's broad shoulders. He always placed his chin on his head, forcing Makoto to lay in his arms. Makoto felt safe, and Haruka, even though he had always been the lower one since the age of ten, finally had the impression that he could protect someone. But now only his arms hugged Makoto. And that wasn’t enough. 

He pulled a cell phone from his trouser pocket. Without thinking about what he would say, he dialed Haruka’s number. Before he could hold the phone to his ear, the voice on the other side already said: " _ Makoto _ ." 

"Haru-chan," Makoto replied. 

He expected Haruka's typical answer -  _ Drop the “chan”  _ \- but instead the brunette asked him, " _ Did something happen _ ?" Makoto shouldn't have been surprised. They had known each other for so long that they could recognize their mood from a distance. A few times they even happened that the annoying pressure in their stomachs forced them to contact each other, when they needed it most. 

"Oh, you know." He thought. Was it appropriate to tell Haruka about that? He just wanted to hear him. Have fun with him. In fact, he didn't want to think much about it anymore. "How are you?" 

Haruka was silent for a moment. Only after a while did it say, " _ Okay _ ." 

"I wanted to hear you," Makoto admitted, pulling his legs even closer to his body. 

" _ I'm glad you're calling me _ ," Haruka said in such a gentle voice that Makoto had to close his eyes. He felt as if he was stroking his body in that voice. He reacted immediately - his shoulders relaxed and the hair on his neck straightened. He had a goose. " _ Are you enjoying yourself in Iwatobi? _ " 

"Um," Makoto growled. "I went fishing with my dad and my mother still works in that florist at the port. Ren remodeled my room beyond recognition. He also improved in gaming. I can't beat him," he laughed.

Haruka was silent again for a moment, as if he expected Makoto to say something more. " _ What about Ran _ ?" Makoto sighed. It was quite loud, even the neighbors had to hear it. "... _ What happened? _ " The brunette repeated. 

"She's changed so much, Haru," Makoto moaned, running his free hand through his hair. He tugged at them. It was a calming gesture, which he first used after the race to calm the adrenaline, but over time he got used to it so much that he practiced it even when he needed to calm down before the competition, when he thought of things that weren’t appropriate or after a strong orgasm. His hair then stuck comically in all directions. "She changed so much." Haruka made a sound of him listening. "She has a boyfriend." 

" _ Boyfriend _ ?"

"She said at home that she had a boyfriend she met at school. She also brought him home. I thought it was some young guy who can't even turn on an anonymous internet browser, but today - today I saw her with him. And Haru, Haru… He's a grown man. Older than me. God, I'm afraid he's closer to my parents' age than mine. I saw them and I couldn't leave her there with him. He introduced himself to me, said he had heard a lot about me and… I didn't know what to do. I took Ran's hand and wanted to go home with her, but instead we had an argument. I didn’t know what to do. So I walked around Iwatobi, wondering how to talk to her about it. But instead, I did such nonsense— " 

" _ You're not doing stupid things, Makoto _ ." 

"Rin?" Makoto asked in surprise as he recognized the voice of his other friend. 

" _ I'm sorry to interrupt. Haru has it on speaker, he's cooking _ .” 

"Oh, I'm sorry to interrupt your—" 

" _ He still has to apologize, that's terrible. _ " 

"Sousuke!" Makoto shouted in surprise. 

" _ Hello _ ," another brunette greeted him casually. " _ Nanase is used to your family's married life, so he bought things for a fifty-course dinner. So he couldn't think of anything more intelligent than inviting me and Rin to dinner to eat. _ " 

" _ No one forced you to come here, Yamazaki, _ " Haruka protested. 

" _ Jesus, and I've had to deal with this for hours _ !" Rin shouted, and Makoto could imagine him sprawling dramatically on a chair. Sousuke and Haruka had long ago buried their ax of war, but each time they had the chance, they quarreled like little children, driving the redhead crazy. 

"You seem to be enjoying it there." 

" _ Probably more than you, _ " Rin said, and Makoto grunted in agreement. " _ Look, do you mind if we heard that? _ " 

"Certainly not. I didn't say any secret." 

" _ And would you take advice from someone who was in the same position as you? _ " 

"Really?" Makoto asked in surprise. 

" _ Of course. We both have younger sisters who we want to protect from the pitfalls of a world full of penises. _ " 

"Rin," Makoto growled, feeling blood pour into his face.

" _ I bet he's blushing _ ," Rin laughed, it was clear he'd told Sousuke and Haruka. " _ Look, it's awful, I know you want to protect her, I know you'd like her to give birth like Madonna, but once it just had to come. You can't defend her. It also took me awhile to get over Gou. But do you know what I get out of it? Happy sister. And it was worth it. _ ” 

"But Gou is an adult, Rin. Ran is only twelve… " 

" _ Um, I know you don't like to hear it, but you know what he says - you learn from mistakes _ ." 

"I don't want her to do anything stupid." 

" _ She has the same upbringing as you. He certainly won't do anything stupid. _ " 

"But… But what about the man?" 

_ "I'd break his spine _ ," Sousuke said firmly, and somewhere in the distance, Haruka's approval grunted. 

" _ Jesus, stop it _ ," Rin said angrily. "Did you tell your parents?" 

"Yes. And…" 

" _ And _ ?" 

"And it didn’t go well. We argued." 

" _ Did you argue with your parents _ ?" Haruka asked in surprise. 

"No," Makoto replied. “With Ran. She said… a few things that triggered something in me and I didn't control myself. I told her she was still a child and she didn't know what love was." 

" _ Oh _ ," Sousuke said. 

"Exactly. She felt pretty hurt. And I'm not surprised. If anyone told me, I would be upset too. Oh God, how could I— ”

" _ Enough _ ," Rin stopped him. " _ Don't blame yourself. You're not to blame. You're just scared. One sometimes says in fear, aggression and sadness things he would never want to say. They didn't even think so. I'm sure you had both - you and your sister. Makoto, I believe you did it only for her good. But that's all he could do for now. Now it's your parents' turn, they're here to forbid, command, or allow something. You're just her brother. Her brother, whom she loves so much. I still remember running from the stands after the national tournament, going around all the organizers and falling into all of your arms. _ ” Makoto smiled at the memory. He remembered it very well. Ran hugged them all there, and before Makoto could react, Haruka leaned over and took her in his arms. She hugged Haruka and Rei around their necks and pressed her cheeks against them. She had the same streaks of tears on her cheeks as they did. At that moment, his heart almost jumped out of his chest with happiness. " _ Whatever happens, it will never change. Maybe it's hard now, maybe she needs a moment of peace and solitude now. Maybe it'll be better if you don't try to interfere. She just needs to know she'll have you here, whatever she needs. Be a place for her to return to. Where she feels safe. Bite how much it hurts and eats you now. Because overcoming things that hurt you sometimes, for the good of someone else, is the best thing you can do. _ ” 

"Rin," Makoto whispered. 

“ _ College makes me smart _ !" The redhead laughed. " _ But Makoto - believe me. You will still be the wonderful, older brother she loves with all her heart. No man will ever replace you in her heart. _ ” Makoto felt tears burning in his eyes. Rin always knew what to say. He may have been rude, sometimes too arrogant and conceited, but when needed, he could calm and encourage. That made him a born leader. The captain's position was made for him. He hoped to see him in the same position one day, for example at the Olympics, as the relay captain. He laughed out loud at the idea - finally a sincere smile. " _ Wow, can you do this again? _ " 

"W-what?" 

“ _ The laugh. I haven't heard that in a long time. It's like a caress for the soul _ ." 

" _ Can you be even gayer _ ?" Sousuke asked, and Makoto laughed again. 

_ "I don't know which of us are blushing here," Rin protested, shouting immediately. “Don't kick me!”  _

_ "Then don't say I'm blushing!"  _

_ "You're as red as a tomato!"  _

_ "It's just because of the heat from Nanases cooking."  _

_ "Haru has a fan on. And we sit far enough! You're blushing because of Makoto! You also think his voice is amazing."  _

_ "Rin."  _

_ "Admit it."  _

_ "Rin!"  _

_ "Do it!"  _

_ "Rin!"  _

_ "Or should I start telling Makoto how, when you get drunk, you talk about how his hair is like a cinnamon roll you'd like to taste one day and—"  _

_ "Rin!"  _

Their quarrel suddenly receded, and in a moment Makoto heard only the rustle of the wind and the click of a just-closed door. " _ Makoto _ ." Haruka probably picked up the phone and went to the balcony while the two kept arguing at the table about what was and wasn't true. " _ Are you there _ ?" 

"Yes, I am," Makoto said, still smiling. 

" _ Are you okay _ ?" 

"Now yes." 

Haruka was silent again for a moment. " _ Did something else happen _ ?" 

Makoto sighed, but no longer felt weak and sad. His heart was already calm and his mind full of his friends, who filled him with comfort. " _ Ran... talked a lot. _ "

" _ Hm _ ." 

"About us…" 

" _ I see _ ." 

"About being ashamed of my relationship…" 

" _ Hm _ ." 

"She told me she hated me." And the chest pain returned for a few moments. Like a dagger that stabbed him right in the heart. 

" _ Makoto _ ." Haruka's voice sounded careful. " _ Makoto _ ," he repeated a little more gently, and sighed. 

"You think-?" 

" _ No. Ran said that only because she was upset. I believe it. Do you remember us? _ ” 

Makoto knew very well what the brunette was coming across. On their argument before the national tournament. "Yes." 

" _ I said something I didn't mean. I apologized for that and you forgave me, but sometimes I think about it sometimes and I'm afraid you really believe it. But it is not so. Makoto, I would never have thought of that, because… Makoto,”  _ Makoto imagined Haruka bit his lip. He always did that when he started talking more. He has moved a lot in communication in recent years. But he was still insecure whenever he spoke for a long time. " _ Makoto _ ," he said at last. In his voice were all the emotions Makoto needed to hear. 

"Haru," Makoto said just as tenderly. There was thunder in the distance. Makoto looked ahead. The trees were strangely calm and the air was a little heavier. A storm was approaching. 

Haruka heard thunder on the other side. " _ Storm _ ." 

"I should go home." 

" _ Are you at mine _ ?" There was something in his voice that Makoto just couldn't name. 

"Yes. I just wanted— ” 

" _ Come back _ ." 

Makoto heard the urgency in his voice. "Haru." 

" _ Makoto, come back. Do you have the keys to my apartment? _ ” 

"Yes. I carry them with me all the time. " 

" _ Come as soon as possible _ ." Makoto heard what Haruka had not yet said —  _ please _ . 

Makoto smiled. "I still have a few days off." 

" _ We can go swimming _ ," Haruka suggested. 

"Of course we'll go swimming." Another thunder. Makoto jumped a little. 

" _ Tell me more about Iwatobi _ ," Haruka said as an order. " _ Until you get home _ ." Makoto smiled. Haruka still respected his phobias and fears as if they were his own. Meanwhile, he closed the porch door and checked that the door was properly locked; called with Haruka. He told him about the cats that fed in high school and had grown up again, and some of them had kittens. He talked about fishing with his father. He talked about how Mrs. Matsura was still trying to find out if Haruka was still free and not interested in one of her granddaughters. They said goodbye just before Makoto unlocked the door to his house. " _ Good night, _ " Haruka said. 

"Good night, Haru-chan." 

" _ Drop the -chan. _ " And their conversation was over. Makoto laughed and hid his cell phone back in his pocket. He unlocked it and went inside. The light was on only in the living room, where his father sat, watching the evening news, which was announcing the approaching storm. His mother and sister weren’t with him. From the voice on the top floor, he heard Ren get upset at the games. He slowly took off his shoes and walked quietly to the stairs. He didn't want to explain what Ran had suggested at dinner - perhaps too clearly. He wanted to go to rest. He went up the stairs, not forgetting to avoid the seventh step, which always creaked, and opened the door to the room. As he had expected - Ren sat with his back to the corner of the bed, pressing the buttons on the remote dangerously fast. 

"Bad game?”

"Onii-chan!" Ren shouted in surprise, but still smiling. "Do you want to play? I can't do it alone.” 

"Sure," Makoto said truthfully. He was tired and wanted to go to bed, but he knew that until the storm passed, he would still fall asleep and press against the pillow. Playing the game with his brother was a better solution.

Makoto didn't wake until after nine in the afternoon. Both of his siblings were already at school, as was his father at work. He could tell from the sounds downstairs that his mother was washing the dishes. Probably still from breakfast. The flower shop did not open until a few hours later. Makoto got up and finally packed the futon, which he had left lying on the ground since he arrived. He folded the laundry and placed it on the table. He packed all his things, which he smeared or pulled out in those few days so he could learn. He changed and put his backpack on his back. 

He went downstairs and entered the kitchen door. His mother was really standing at the sink, always singing and smiling, but this time she was strangely quiet. "Mom," he interrupted in a weak voice to keep her afraid. Still, she jumped a little. He looked in his direction and smiled at him. Her smile was sincere. "I'm going back to Tokyo." 

"Already?" She wiped her hands on the apron tied around her hips. "Why?" Makoto was already inhaling to say a learned sentence about how he needed to concentrate on exams, and he couldn't do it when his mother asked him seriously, "Is it because of yesterday?" 

After a while, Makoto just nodded. "A little." 

"Sweetheart." She walked over to him and touched his strong arms. "Don't go." 

"I… I want." 

His mother was silent for a moment before she smiled and asked, "Did you call Haruka?"

Makoto smiled. How could he think he could hide anything from his mother? "Yes." 

"Good…" She could tell from her voice that she didn't want him to leave yet. She was glad to be able to see him again after half a year for more than a few hours in an expensive cafe somewhere in Tokyo that seemed so quick and frightening. "Take care." 

"Of course." 

They both walked to the door, Makoto put on his favorite sneakers, and before he could say goodbye, his mother put her hands on his shoulders. Now that she was a little higher thanks to the step, she looked into his eyes and said as softly as possible, "Sweetheart, what Ran said yesterday. About you and Haruka… ” Makoto swallowed dryly. "We'll be able to talk about it together, won't we? You know you can talk to me about everything." 

"I know." 

His mother smiled at him. "What if you came with Haruka next time? Does he still love mackerel?” 

"As always," Makoto laughed, and she joined him. 

"Come both. I will be looking forward to it. And your father, too.” Makoto blinked. "We talked yesterday…" 

"…And?" 

"Come with Haruka, okay?" 

Makoto understood. Everyone needed time to prepare for it. Still, Makoto felt strangely good about it. As if he didn't have to worry about it. He kissed his mother goodbye on the cheek and walked back to the bus station without further ado. He waited for the bus for almost an hour. He forgot to book a ticket, but he was lucky - in the end, a place was found for him. He tried not to notice anything all the way, not to think about anything. He let time and space flow around him. 

He was back in Tokyo in a few hours. The road didn't tire him at all. It lasted a little faster than the road to Iwatobi. Maybe because he was looking forward to Tokyo a little more. He himself was surprised. However, when he got off the bus, he understood. Haruka sat on one of the benches. When he saw Makota, he got up and walked over to him. Brunet wanted to hug his friend strongly and whisper -  _ Thank you for being here. I needed you. - _ but instead he just smiled broadly at him. "Are we going swimming?" Makoto asked, noticing how long Haruka studied him. Instead of answering, he just nodded and they both headed for their favorite public pool.

Makoto spent the first three days in Tokyo with Haruka. They swam together in a public pool, discovering new corners of cafes and sunken snack stalls, usually with traditional Japanese food, and even visited a cat cafe that Makoto had wanted to visit for so long. Every night they returned to Haruka's apartment, where the brunette always cooked two meals - something sweet for Makoto, something with mackerel for himself. They played games until morning and fell asleep on the couch, usually leaning against each other. Haruka woke him by gently stroking his hair. Makoto woke every time Haruka moved a little out of his arms and prepared breakfast for them, so when the brunette woke him up, he enjoyed all his touches a little longer and played that he had just woken up. He was pleased with how gently Haruka touched him. 

Still, Makoto told himself it was time to return to his apartment. Even though he knew that he and Haruka were used to each other so much that they could actually live together all the time - and he sometimes asked himself why they hadn't done it so long ago - he also wanted a moment for himself. When he didn't get off at the same stop as the brunette the next night, he didn't ask him anything. They said goodbye, as they did every other day, and waved through the window. Haruka waited on the platform until the car started. 

He felt strangely cold when he entered his apartment. And it certainly wasn't because he had the heating turned off, and for another good two hours he had to walk around the apartment in his bushy, white turtleneck. He made tea and took turns studying for an anatomy exam, or sat in front of the television and played a shooter he had bought half a year ago, and he didn't have time to play it yet. He enjoyed it less than he expected. But perhaps because his thoughts were still running to Iwatobi. 

Ever since he returned to the capital, his mother had called him every day. She asked him if he was well. Her voice was sweet, and it was obvious that she was smiling. Still, he knew she had called him because of what had happened at their home the last day. He always answered her the same way - good - and she accepted. Their conversation lasted no more than a minute. Ren wrote to him twice, once an angry message that he hadn't even had time to say goodbye to him, and he was so looking forward to them playing football together; and the second that they had elected him a new captain for the next semester. He knew only that he was enthusiastic from the volley of emojis that had reached the message. His father never called or wrote to him, they only saw each other on video calls, where he listened but said nothing. That's why it didn't seem strange to him that he hadn't contacted him. 

But Ran was silent. Just like the last six months. He still had to think about it. Even though he was with Haruka and they talked about school, swimming, even meeting other friends, somewhere far away in his thoughts, it still sounded -  _ Ran, Ran, Ran. _ It was like a red flag on his journey through life. "I have a feeling something will happen," Makoto said the first night in the silence in Haruka's apartment as he lay on the sofa, staring at the ceiling, which was illuminated only by street lamps. Haruka said nothing, made him herbal tea, soothed his raging mind and relaxed him so much that he fell asleep in a few minutes. They didn't talk about it anymore. Makoto didn't know what to say, and Haruka knew he would start alone one day. But they both decided that it would be better for them to enjoy a few days together without worries. 

For the first time in the few days he had been with Haruka, he couldn’t sleep. He had put the book away long ago, all the letters on the pages just merging into one large, ink stain. The shooter game was boring, and after two hours and five failed attempts to defeat the main boss, he turned it off. He watched TV, switched channels without actually thinking about what they were giving. He stopped at a station with American sitcoms, which always cheered him up a bit. Even now, he found himself smiling at times. He took it as a success.

It was one o'clock in the morning when his phone rang. He jumped up and looked at the table where his phone was bouncing. An unknown number shone on the display. Makoto, otherwise frightened by every detail, accepted the call. Everyone knew he wouldn't turn down a call. If someone called him like that late at night, he needed something or it was a mistake. "Hello?" There was only loud breathing on the other side, which shook his body until goosebumps appeared after him. "H-Hello?" He repeated a little loudly. The voice on the other side behaved in the same way. "I-if it's-this is a stupid jo-joke, then—" 

" _ Onii-chan... _ " 

Makoto was on his feet at that moment. "Ran." He would recognize her voice at any time. "Ran, is that you?" Instead of answering, something sounded like - Makoto frowned. "Ran, are you crying?" 

" _ O-Onii-chan _ ," she whispered again, crying loudly. 

"Ran, what happened?" His whole body trembled. He began pacing the room nervously. "Ran." 

" _ Onii-chan, please, please come for me _ ." 

"Where are you, Ran?" Ran cried loudly for a moment. "Ran, please tell me where you are now.”

" _ Chiyoda _ ." Makoto stopped. He knew it was. It was one famous Tokyo neighborhood, where families from better society lived. Most of them were owners of larger companies, factories or government employees. The neighborhood was divided into several expensive plots, where each family had its own plot and at least a one-storey villa. Makoto once passed by and looked admiringly at all the houses. It looked beautiful there. "I'm going there. Wait for me, okay?” 

" _ Y-yes _ ." 

"If anything, call me." 

" _ O-okay... _ " 

He didn't say goodbye, he ended the call straight away. He turned off the television, ran to the hall, put on his shoes, took his favorite, warm coat from the hangers, and got out. He left the apartment and hurried to the train, which had just stopped at its stop. He held onto the bar at the door and tapped his foot nervously. He must have looked weird. Makoto didn't even have to look at his reflection to understand that he didn't look his best. He was pale in the face, cold sweat on his forehead, and his hands fidgeted as if he had a panic attack. According to the pain in his chest and legs, he really was experiencing one. 

Ten stops later, Makoto ran to the platform and thanked him for not giving up his training and still running, even though he no longer swam competitively. Thanks to that, he soon ran to the apartment of the only person who could help him at this moment. He rang the bell several times before Haruka appeared between the doors. His hair protruded in all directions and he rubbed his eye with his hand. He looked cute. "Makoto?" He asked in surprise as he recognized his best friend sleepily. 

"Haru, I need to borrow your car." 

Haruka blinked slowly twice and asked, "What?" 

"I'll explain later. Can I borrow your car, please?” 

"Makoto." Brunet looked at Haruka, who was looking somewhere at his hips. Makoto followed his gaze. His hands were shaking. It was visible even in the small light that streamed from the brunette's apartment. When Makoto looked at Haruka again, he was looking at him again. "Wait here," he said before turning and walking back to the apartment. He left the door open in case Makoto wanted to enter. Instead, he leaned against the railing and tried to exhale. 

A moment later, Haruka left the apartment, locked it, and stood beside Makota. He looked into his face and Makoto smiled only slightly at him. "Where are we going?" He asked him as they went down the stairs to the garages together and came to Haruka's silver car. 

"To Chiyoda."

"Okay." As always, Haruka didn't ask. They got in the car and drove off. Under normal circumstances, they would listen to music together and Makoto would tell what he was doing during the day. He always looked ahead, his hands clenched into the seat, trying not to look so nervous in the front seat. But this time he was looking out the window, his arms crossed over his chest, the fingers of his left hand slapping his arm nervously and tapping with both feet. Haruka always looked at him for a moment, trying not to let him know how nervous his behavior made him. He didn't like it when someone next to him was shaking like that. It irritated him. But now he was afraid. His best friend always acted like this only when something hit him hard. The last time he saw him like that was in high school, when, for several more nights after their training camp on a deserted island, he was shaking in bed and waking up from nightmares. But he knew it was better not to ask. Not now. There was no time for that. He recognized this from the urgency in Makoto's voice. 

As they drove into the neighborhood Makoto was talking about, the brunet just said, "Slow down a little, please." Makoto to look around. As if he were looking for someone. Haruka also found himself looking at the sidewalks as if he were about to see someone he knew instead of looking at the road ahead. "Stop." Haruka slammed on the brake and the car jerked uncomfortably. However, Makoto no longer felt that. He immediately opened the door, walked around the car, and ran to the sidewalk, where there was a backlit telephone box. Next to it was a bench on which sat a twisted figure. Haruka didn't know who it was in the distance. 

But Makoto knew. As soon as he saw the position in which she was twisted, he recognized that it was his sister. She always sat in this strange position when she was tired or afraid of something. He always found her sitting on the bed like this when she woke up from a nightmare or cried that she had heard that someone had said something bad about her at school. He walked over to her as fast as he could, and even in the dark he saw her shoulders fray and heard her cry. "Ran."

When she heard her name, she lifted her head from her knees, which she had attached to her chest. He looked ahead and found her brother's face in the dark. Immediately, her world blurred again. Fresh tears welled in her eyes and ran down her cheeks at fast speed. Even though she was cold and felt like shame, she dropped her knees to the ground and held out her hands to her older brother. She did it as a child, whenever she wanted to hug. She didn't even stretch her arms out in front of her, and she could already feel his strong arms tightly gripped in his arms. His sweet scent flickered in her nose and she began to tremble under the onslaught of his warmth radiating from him. 

"Oh, Ran, wait," Makoto whispered, pulling away from her. He unbuttoned his coat and took it off. During that time, he had a moment to look at her. She was wearing a tight black skirt and a pink blouse that was torn at the shoulder, revealing her skin. A few buttons were torn off. She had no shoes on her feet. Her hair was tousled. He also saw a red spot on her face. "Take it," he said as he slung his coat over her shoulders and Ran wrapped herself in it. He immediately hugged her tightly again, began stroking her hair and back. 

"Onii-chan," she whispered between sobs and dug her nose into his shoulder. Makoto pressed her even harder, almost afraid he would crush her. She was so tiny and fragile against him. 

"What happened to Ran?" He asked cautiously. Instead of answering, Ran just sobbed loudly and shook her head. She didn't want to tell him. As she moaned and looked loud, he began to fear the worst. "Did anyone hurt you?" Ran shivered in his arms for a moment until she nodded weakly. "Oh, God," he whispered to himself, pulling away from her. He grabbed her cheeks in his palms and began to wipe away all the tears with his fingers. "Do you want to go to the police? Tell someone?” 

"No, no," she whispered, shaking her head. 

"Ran, if anyone hurt you—" 

"No, not like that." He shook his head again and pulled his coat closer to her body with her hands. "He didn't hurt me like that." Makoto looked at her again. "I ran away." She cried again. Makoto leaned his forehead against hers and closed his eyes. He stroked her cheeks and let her cry until he heard her sobs begin to be quiet and his face almost wiping dry. 

"We're going home, shall we?" 

"No I can’t-" 

"To my apartment." 

Ran opened her eyes and looked at Makoto. He had a worried look on his face, but otherwise he was smiling. "Okay," she whispered gratefully. She accepted his hand, which helped her to her feet. He wrapped one arm around her shoulders, pressed it to his side, and together they came to Haruk's car.

He opened the door to the back seats and sat down with Ran. When he looked in the inner rear view mirror, he saw Haruka looking at him. His blue eyes were a little darker, and Makoto saw a lot of questions in them. "Will you please take us to my house, Haru-chan?" Haruka ignored the way Makoto addressed him and just nodded. He left the street and returned the same way, but this time instead of to him, he turned directly to the apartment complex where Makoto lived. The silence in the car was sometimes broken just thanks to Ran’s sobs and Makoto’s hushed words. Haruka watched them all the way in the reflection of the mirror, saw Makoto Ran hugging tightly and stroking his back. He dug his fingers into the steering wheel, trying to focus on the road. 

When they reached the parking lot in front of Makoto's apartment, Haruka turned off the engine and went out with them. Just one look and he understood that they would need him right now. Maybe not both, just Makoto. They reached his apartment in silence, and Makoto turned on the light and took off his shoes. "I'll make tea," Haruka said softly, and went into the kitchen. 

Makoto didn't have time to thank him. He could still feel Ran shaking in his arms. They went to the bathroom together. He let her stand at the door, leaned over the tub, and began to fill it with hot water. Turning his back to her, he asked, "He really didn't do anything to you?" Ran was silent. "If so, it would be necessary—" 

"No, not so far… Not so far," she said weakly. Makoto squeezed the hose and gritted his teeth. He wanted to start asking her everything - What was she doing in Tokyo? What was she doing in that neighborhood? Why did she look like that? Who did she meet? It was clear to him that with the man, he had no proof, but he was one hundred percent sure. But the worst part was that he wanted to know what had happened. But he was afraid. Everything. The truth he would know. 

"I'll go get you some clothes," he said as he walked into his bedroom and picked up one of his loose T-shirts and short shorts, which he guessed would be below her knees. When he got back to the bathroom, Ran was already in the bathtub. She left her clothes on the floor as she gradually took them off. Makoto knew he shouldn’t, but his eyes wandered to the steps of the tub to examine her underwear. They weren’t dirty, torn, or bloody. He took a breath and placed his clothes on the lid of the washing machine next to the door. "Enjoy the bath, if anything, call me." 

"Wait," Ran said, placing her face on her knees at her chest. Makoto looked into her large, turquoise eyes. He knew that look. She wanted him to stay with her. But it didn't seem right to him anymore. 

"But I can't be with you—" 

"I don't want you to bathe with me. Onii-chan, I'm too big for that.” For the first time in six months, he saw her sincere smile. For a moment, her eyes gleamed with something other than tears — happiness. Makoto returned the faint smile. "I just…" 

Makoto stood between the doors for a moment until he decided to close them. He bent down for all the things she had left lying on the ground. He moved her underwear to the edge of the tub with a towel and left them covered. He threw the others into the washing machine. "It will be clean again in the morning." He sat with his back to the wall, shrugged, and looked at Ran. All he saw was her head, a piece of her back and arms around her knees. "Do you want to talk about it?" 

"I don't know," she admitted. "But I want... I would like to apologize to you." Makoto noticed that her eyes gleamed with tears again. "You were right." 

Makoto knew that. But he still didn't blame her. She didn't listen to him, she was stubborn and got hurt unnecessarily, but he couldn't blame her. As Rin said, one learns best from mistakes. "About Akinori?" 

"Takashi. His name is Takashi.” Makoto frowned. After all, he introduced himself to him as— “I didn't know that either. He lied to me. He didn't tell me his real name." 

"Ran, really—" 

"I was supposed to be in the final preparations for our calligraphic club today. We were supposed to sleep there until tomorrow, when our exhibition will open at five in the afternoon. We had arranged weeks to sleep in school. I told my parents as soon as we agreed. They didn’t object. Why?” Ran chuckled. But there was something sad and desperate about her smile. "I told Aki— Takashi too. I mentioned it a week ago when he asked me if we could see each other after school. He immediately started asking me if I needed to be there and that I needed to help them with the preparations. I knew I should tell him yes. But I knew he wanted to suggest something to me, and… I was curious.” She looked at Makoto, who swallowed dryly. She noticed that he was serious. "Can I?" 

"Go on," he urged her.

"He told me -  _ What if you were with me overnight for the first time _ ? It sounded so tempting. As soon as he said that, my heart pounded and I knew I had to agree. The same day, I packed my things in a backpack, which I hid in a closet. As I was leaving the house this morning, my parents said goodbye to me and wished I could do it. And I told them without any problems that it would definitely turn out well, and I left. Instead of going to school, I went to the park, where I changed in public toilets. Takashi was already waiting for me in the parking lot. He took me to Tokyo, the journey was long, but we made a few stops for food and drink and… It was so nice, onii-chan. We had fun, we hugged, he told me he liked me…” Her face twisted and she felt the corners of her mouth begin to fall. Tears welled in her eyes again. 

"Ran," Makoto whispered, eager to approach her again, to hug her and wipe away her tears. 

"But then we arrived in Tokyo. He showed me some nice places, an exhibition of paintings that I wanted to see. And then we ... then we came to him in the evening and he ... Onii-chan, I'm not stupid, the moment I got to his house I realized that this wouldn't be a normal evening. He only led me to the living room, where we watched a movie. When I went to the bathroom, he had the door to another room ajar. I knew I shouldn't invade his privacy, but again - I'm curious,” she laughed bitterly and put her chin on her knees. She looked ahead at the tiles that began to get wet under the onslaught of heat in the bathroom. "It was a bedroom. And above his bed hung a painting… A huge photograph of his whole family - his wife and two adult children. I think both of his sons are older than me. At that moment I was scared, I walked back to him, but I didn't know how to say I wanted to go home. To take me back. He put on another movie and poured me wine. I didn't want to, but he said I should know how tasty it is… " 

"And you know?" 

She looked at Makoto and just shook her head. "He didn't force me… Like on other things." Their eyes met again, and Makoto dug his fingers into his fists. "Even though he tried, he didn't hurt me. But…” Her shoulders began to shake again. After a while, she cried and began to moan loudly. 

Makoto couldn't stand it anymore, he got up and walked over to her. He knelt beside the bathtub and began stroking her hair. He just looked into her face, trying to get her to look at him. "It'll be alright, Ran, please, it'll be alright." 

"I said no, onii-chan, but he didn't listen. He didn't want to listen." 

“Ran…” 

“I got away from him and smashed his watch, their strap jammed on my shoulder—" That's why the torn blouse, "—I began to blame him for not respecting me and, if not me, his wife. He wondered how I could know… He started yelling at me… and then… I don't even know, onii-chan, we started arguing, he told me… so n-nasty things and called me such words—” 

"Ran…" Makoto leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. He closed his eyes in pain. He never wanted her to experience so much pain. 

"I don't know what happened next - I'm a little confused, but I know we're arguing a lot. Lots of. He slapped me and kicked m-me out of the house.”Barefoot, humiliated, heartbroken. 

"It'll be alright, Ran. I'm here. No one will hurt you anymore.” And Ran believed him. 

They sat there in silence for a while. The heat in the room twisted their hair. Makoto turned off the water and rose from his seat. "I'll be in the kitchen with Haru, I'll make you something to eat." He left the bathroom leaving Ran alone. 

When he reached the kitchen, Haruka was sitting at a table reading one of Makoto's books. He had a teapot with herbal tea in front of him and several toasts. As soon as he saw Makoto's figure between the doors, he closed the book and looked at him. "Ran is taking a bath," he told him. Haruka just nodded. "Haru, can I ask you something else?" 

"Yes?" 

"Will you lend me your car?" 

Haruka felt as if he were experiencing dejavu. "Makoto." 

"Haru, please," Makoto insisted. "It's important. I promise nothing will happen to your car." 

"I don't care about that," Haruka told the truth as he pulled the keys from his trouser pocket and handed them to Makoto. As Makoto reached for them, he squeezed his fingers between his for a moment. They looked at each other, had one of their telepathic conversations. Haruka's eyes said clearly -  _ Take care of yourself, _ and Makoto's eyes answered him -  _ Don't worry about me _ .

"Thank you, Haru-chan" 

"…Drop the -chan.” 

Makoto laughed. "I'm sorry, I couldn't resist." He walked into the hall. Before he could put on his jacket and take his jacket out of the closet, Haruka stood on the steps by the shoebox, looking at him. "I'll be back soon," he promised, and he wanted to lean in so he could kiss him. But he stopped quickly. He sighed, smiled at him, and left the apartment. 

Haruka walked into the living room, which overlooked the parking lot. He watched intently as Makoto unlocked the car and got in. As he got away and he didn't see a bit of the back light, he sighed, "You know I wouldn't mind, you fool."

"Haru-chan?" Haruka turned. Ran stood behind him, her hair still wet and a little dripping on Makot's gray T-shirt, which she had under her butt. His shorts were comically below her knees. "Where's onii-chan?" 

"He needed to go for something," he said vaguely. "Would you like something to eat?" 

"I'm not hungry." 

"Tea?" 

"Neither, thank you." Ran grabbed her neck and whimpered slightly. "I'm just sleepy. And… I have a little headache. ” 

"Go to bed, I'll get you pills." Haruka walked back to the kitchen, where Makoto was hiding his medicine in the cupboard above the microwave. Most of them were in pain or stomach problems, which he suffered from because he was constantly overeating sweets. He poured hot tea into an empty cup and walked into Makoto's bedroom, where Ran was already huddled in his duvets. "Here," he said as he placed the tea and powder on the table beside the bed. 

"Thank you, Haru-chan," she said truthfully, but she didn't move. She looked vaguely somewhere in front of her. Haruka wondered if he should leave or say something when Ran asked him, "Could you stay here with me? At least until I fall asleep…” He couldn’t resist her tone. Haruka pulled a chair from his desk to the bed and sat on it. Ran smiled at him and closed her eyes. In less than five minutes, she fell asleep. Sometimes she twitched from sleep, but otherwise she slept peacefully and breathed cutely. As she used to a few years ago, when she fell asleep in his arms. 

Haruka sighed. He had only moved out of Iwatobi a year ago, but he felt as if he had been at least ten years old. Makoto was right. Ran looked like an adult woman. It was the first thing that occurred to him, along with the fact that it was already approaching his height. He must have made a point, he might have started cursing the Tachibana family gene, but he could only think that even though her body looked like an adult woman, her gaze was as innocent and as fragile as it had ever been. Her turquoise gaze hadn't changed since he held her in his arms as a small baby. The two twins were crying madly at the time, no one knew how to comfort them, so he and Makoto snuck into the nursery and each of them took one of the babies in his arms. After a while, they were both calm, then they frightened Makoto's mother. She fell asleep tiredly on the sofa, despite the screams that echoed through the house. However, the silence woke her and scared her. The two small knots almost fell to the ground when the door opened and Makot's mother shouted in it -  _ What's going on here?! _

All his memories began to return. The way Makoto once taught his siblings how to crawl. It was cute how he helped them to their knees and showed them how to use their hands to crawl somewhere. In a moment, they both learned it. In a few months they were walking, running, and then not one of them could get rid of them. Whenever they saw or slept at Makoto's house, they always had Ren and Ran with them. But Haruka never minded. He was an only child, and since his mother decided to go see her father so she could be close to him, he felt alone. However, when he sometimes felt that the noise and chaos around him made his head jump and he wanted to evaporate as soon as possible, he missed it every time he fell asleep at home in silence and without someone's arms. Every winter they built an igloo together, in the summer they went swimming in the lake or built sand locks on the ocean shore, bought ice cream, played video games, played at home or doctors, played sports… 

Haruka smiled. He knew he would never forget it. Especially the way Ran and Ren always laughed from ear to ear and their eyes blazed with flames of happiness. He looked at the bed where Ran was sleeping. What he saw in her face now was relaxation, but her eyes were full of sadness and pain. It hurt himself to see her in such a state. She was like his own sister to him. 

He sighed. He got up and went back to the living room. He sat down on the sofa and looked at the digital clock that illuminated the room, reporting that it was only a few minutes after two o'clock in the morning. He looked out the window at the parking lot. His car was still not there. Even though he could feel his eyelids squeezing, he couldn't sleep. He kept thinking about where Makoto was. He wasn't stupid - he knew very well what his best friend was going to do. And that scared him. Makoto was very kind and hated conflicts. How easily can a man who has no problem touching a clueless girl handle him? He was worried about him.

After several text messages and one missed call, the front door opened at half past three in the morning. Haruka was immediately on his feet. He walked into the hall, turned on the light, and started, "You know what time— Makoto!" 

Makoto just laughed. "You should have seen him." Haruka walked over to him and looked at him. Makoto's clothes were crumpled and dirty from the mud. Mainly on the knees and elbows. Apparently he had been kneeling on the ground for some time. His hair was in all directions, some sticking to the dried sweat on his forehead. He had a small scar over his mouth, as well as under his eye. They were still bleeding a little. Like the knuckles on his hands, which were torn almost to the flesh. He had splashes of blood on his entire palms and the sleeves of his jacket. 

Haruka's heart was pounding. "Come," he said softly, grabbing his wrist and leading him to the bathroom. The warmth from a bath was long gone. He sat him on a chair next to the shower head and opened the cabinet above the sink. He removed disinfectant, cotton swabs and a bandage. He knelt in front of Makoto, who meanwhile took off his dirty jacket and threw it in the washing machine. He looked at him - Makoto recognized fear and a little remorse in his eyes - and went to work. Makoto jumped under each touch of cotton wool filled with disinfectant. It burned insanely. He hissed, but didn't object. He knew the wounds needed cleaning. Haruka then washed his hands with lukewarm water and tied them with a bandage. He looked at Makoto as he fastened the bandages so that they would not untangle. 

"I'm sure he'll file a criminal complaint against me," Makoto laughed, but Haruka knew his smile was fake. His hair fell into his eyes. When Haruka tried to put them by his ear, Makoto protested, "No, Haru-chan, please." - but the brunette didn’t listen. He made him look at him. When their eyes met, Haruka saw Ran in them - eyes full of pain and sadness. Haruka didn't know what to say, so he did all he knew it always worked. He hugged him. Makoto immediately grabbed him by the hips and dug his head into his shoulder. He inhaled his wonderful scent and sighed with satisfaction. "If you'd see him, Haru, how he laughed at me. Right in the face. He laughed at me.” Haruka stroked his hair. They were as delicate as ever. "He had no idea what he had done wrong. He didn't want to listen to me.” Makoto began to shake in his arms. Not fear, not sadness - but anger. He only knew it a few times, but he knew what Makoto could be like when he was angry. It wasn't a pretty sight. But most importantly - he was scary. Haruka also had respect for him, and somewhere in the corner of his heart he admitted that he was afraid by his anger. "I didn't want to, I really didn't want to, but he started saying that Ran ... That I can't even say that," he growled like an animal and tensed. "It was dark before my eyes. I didn't want to do it, but when he started saying those nasty things, I had to do something. And the words weren’t enough for him. I just touched him to understand that he didn't have to say that anymore, but he immediately started defending himself and cursing at everything - me, Ran, our family, and I just…“ He didn't even have to finish it, Haruka knew very well what happened. 

Haruka pulled away from Makoto, placed his palms on his cheek, and forced him to look at him. "You didn't do anything wrong." 

Makoto smiled at him and nodded. He swallowed hard and said quietly, "Something much worse could have happened, Haru. Between him and Ran, he could hurt her. And I-" 

"You couldn't stop it," Haruka said, approaching him until their noses rubbed against each other. "You did your best." 

"But-" 

"There was nothing else to do," he said a little more rudely. 

Makoto swallowed loudly again and nodded. "You're right, Haru-chan"

"Drop the -chan already," he told him before leaning over and kissing him gently. For just a few seconds, their lips barely rubbed against each other. But Makoto shivered, too, and a strangled, weak moan came out of his mouth, swallowing Haruka immediately with another, slightly rougher kiss. Makoto moaned contentedly, digging his fingers more into his hips. 

Their kiss could only last a few seconds when it was said, "Onii-chan...?" They pulled away from each other, not even smiling at each other as Makoto got up and went to the bedroom. 

Haruka knelt in the same spot for a while longer, looking at the door as if waiting for Makoto to return. This has always happened. What they had between them before they both entered high school was taken as a child's play. After their first day in high school, he noticed a lot of girls looking at Makoto. And Haruka feared that what was between them would hamper Makoto. So he asked him to end it - their touches and silent moans never echoed through his room again. But over the years, he had learned that even though he had given Makoto freedom, he had decided to be by his side as before. He never blamed him, but he never tried anything. Not when they were both still single, not when Makoto admitted he liked the boys, or when Haruka decided to go to Tokyo as well. Sometimes, but only in small, short moments, they broke it. Just by kisses. Sometimes fleeting - for example, when they woke up in each other's arms. Sometimes pleasant - for example, while watching a comedy movie together. But sometimes they were passionate and desperate - for example, when Haruka won his first university race, or Makoto failed his exam and needed to be distracted. However, none of them called what was between them in any way. They kept saying they were best friends, but they both knew they weren’t for a long time. But they were both afraid to postpone it. 

Haruka sighed. It was too late to think like that. He got up and walked to the bedroom and looked inside with the door open. Makoto lay on the bed next to Ran, looking at her relaxed face and smiling. Haruka turned to go to the living room and sleep on the couch when a voice said, "Haru." He turned and looked back at the bed. Makoto smiled at him and held out his hand. Haruka understood. He closed the door, walked to the side of the bed where his friend was lying, and took his hand. He lay down next to him, his chest stuck to his back and his arm wrapped around his waist. Makoto moaned contentedly. 

Ran may have needed Makoto, but Makoto needed Haruka. Now more than ever. With that in mind, Haruka pressed even closer to his friend and whispered softly, "Good night." He fell asleep the next moment.

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on tumblr [2WNikiAngel](http://www.2wnikiangel.tumblr.com).


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